Thinking Of You
by rwjj28
Summary: Ally starts dating Logan, but starts seeing Carlos at the same time, not knowing they were even friends, or even in a band together. What will happen when she finally figures it out? Who will she choose? CarlosXOC LoganXOC
1. Chapter 1

**New story! This is a Carlos one and I'm really enjoying it so far. This first chapter is REALLY REALLY long. Like, 6,000 words long. But I think it's one of my best, so please please please leave a review!**

* * *

"Hey, Melissa, I'm gonna run down the street to get some coffee, you gonna be okay here?" Ally Moore asked her employer, making sure she would be okay to run the store by herself.

The redhead stood up from below the counter and placed a bunch of hangers down, "Yeah, sure! It's only 10, so we shouldn't get a crowd until like, 11 or something."

"This is true, call me if you need me though! I won't be long." Ally grabbed her purse and headed for the door, stopping for a second and facepalming her head. "I'm such a jerk, do you want any coffee or something?"

Melissa laughed, "Nah, I'm good. Take your time!"

Ally gave her a wave and groaned as soon as she opened the store door at the sound of her phone going off. She didn't even bother checking the id; it was a bad habit and she had been trying to remember to look but gave up after two days of trying. "This is Allyson Moore!" She greeted.

"Allyson, it's Sarah. I just wanted to call and make sure we were still on tonight." Ally stopped walking and tried to refrain from making a loud groan of annoyance.

"Sarah, hey!" She bit her lip to fight back the groan again. She remembered her destination for coffee and continued onward. "Um, honestly, I kind of forgot about it, but thankfully there's nothing planned for tonight, so yes, we are still on for tonight!"

Sarah was Ally's brother's girlfriend's sister and had been hammering her about going on a double date with her and her boyfriend and his best friend. It was a blind date and Ally had always hated them, but her brother begged her to agree, so of course she did. She never said no to her brother.

"Great! You can meet us at the restaurant at about 8, how does that sound?" She could hear Sarah's excitement and smiled briefly, happy that she was making someone happy.

"That sounds perfect, Sarah. Hey, how's your mom doing?" Ally quickly changed the subject to focus more on her and not herself. She hated when the attention was all over her.

Ally reached the door to Starbucks when Sarah began to finish her story, "So all in all, she's doing better. She should be out of the hospital tomorrow."

"Well, I'm glad to hear she's doing good." Ally stated, genuinely concerned. She was blocking the door to Starbucks but didn't really think too much about it until she heard a voice come from behind her.

"Excuse me, miss. But I am dying from lack of caffeine." A very cute Latino boy excused himself between Ally and the door and sent her a wink.

She immediately blushed and apologized, "I'm so sorry, go ahead." The phone was still pressed against her ear as Sarah went off another story, this time about Moore Clothes.

The man held open the door for Ally and she gently smiled at him and walked on through, "Thank you."

"Anytime, anytime." He grinned at her before going up to the line and observing the menu.

"Sarah, just stop by anytime tomorrow and you can exchange the top for a different size. It's okay." Ally chuckled at her friend's dismay about the wrong sized top.

Ally owned her own clothing boutique in Downtown L.A. called "Moore Clothes". She had just finished school at UCLA with a major in Fashion Merchandising and minor in Business. She was able to open the shop a little less than a year ago. At 22, she was starting her life off great.

"Oh, Allyson, thank you! The connections we all have in this town are just wonderful, aren't they?" Sarah commented.

Ally couldn't help but cringe at the name "Allyson". She would never admit it to anyone, but she hated the name. When she moved out for school, she insisted on being called Ally because it just suited her personality more. The only one in her family that ever called her Ally was her brother, Michael. But whenever someone called her Allyson, she never corrected them. It was just a habit. Another one that she just couldn't shake.

She rolled her eyes at Sarah's comment, "Well, Sarah, I guess if you got them, why not use them?"

"I hate to leave you, but someone's at my door. I'll see you later tonight, Allyson."

"Bye, Sarah," Ally didn't hesitate to groan when she hung up and put her phone in her purse. She took a deep breath and looked up at the menu, eyeing the espresso and just plain coffee. She considered ordering an espresso shot and frappe but wasn't sure exactly—

Next thing she knew, Ally was in the arms of the man who opened the door for her and was now drenched in cold coffee.

"I am so so sorry!" The man stood her up and tried not to laugh at the mess he made. "I wasn't watching where I was going."

"It's fine, it's fine," Ally sighed, feeling sticky. "At least it wasn't hot, right?"

The man finally let out a laugh and ushered Ally down to a two person round table. "Here," he handed her a bunch of napkins. "Let me buy you your coffee. I'm so sorry, please?"

Ally was about to decline as she was drying off her very cold thighs and blue jean shorts when she looked up at the man's brown eyes and was stuck. "Um, okay. Just a tall coffee, with three sugars and cream."

"You got it," he winked before turning back to the cashier. Ally looked down at her shirt and saw the brown stain already there and also on her shorts. She groaned but then remembered she had a clothing store and could easily change. It was 5 minutes before the guy came back with her coffee and a new frappe for himself.

"Listen, I'm really really sorry. I don't tend to watch where I'm going sometimes. It's a bad habit," he smiled, handing Ally her coffee.

She chuckled, "We all have those, don't we?" She asked, referring to the bad habits.

He sat down across from her and put out his hand, "I'm Carlos Garcia."

Ally took his hand and shook it, "Ally Moore." She couldn't help but blush again when he held on to her hand for a second longer.

"I've always liked the name Ally. I think I've only met two Ally's in my lifetime." Carlos stated, keeping his eyes on hers as he sipped his drink.

"Really? I've met probably a dozen Carlos's. I hardly remember any of them," she sipped her own coffee, still pressing napkins in to her lap.

"Well, I guess I'll have to make myself rememberable." His winking was becoming quite numerous.

Ally laughed at him, not really sure if she should even be sitting at this table with this stranger. She had known him less than ten minutes and was very sure that he was one of those guys that did this numerous times. Spill coffee on a girl, flirt way too much, and just be so infections. He was a flat out player and Ally was ready to call him out on it.

"Uh, I should probably go. I'm all sticky and I have to be at work right now, so—" she started to stand up but Carlos stopped her.

"What? No, come on. Sit down and enjoy your coffee. We just got here. I promise not to flirt with you anymore. I apologize. I sometimes get carried away when I see a beautiful girl sitting across from me," he chuckled at her rolling eyes. "That was the last one, I promise!"

"Ten minutes is all you get. I really have to get back to work." She sent him a soft smile, giving in to his charm. It wasn't every day that she was being complimented and flirted with by a really cute guy. They were usually slobs or it just didn't happen. So Ally was going to take advantage.

"Ten minutes is hardly enough time to get to know someone," Carlos said, grinning now that he got to spend a little more time with this girl.

"You obviously have never experienced speed dating," Ally joked, and Carlos laughed at it. She smiled at him, sipping her coffee.

"No, I personally haven't, but I have a feeling you have."

* * *

Carlos couldn't contain his belly laugh anymore and just let it all out. Ally had tears forming in the corner of her eyes at the retelling of her most recent speed date story. "So the guy just kept throwing up in the trash can while I'm holding it. It was the worst thing. But was even more worse is the that girl who went before me? She knew he was sick but didn't bother telling anyone about it!"

Carlos couldn't stop laughing. This girl was the funniest girl he had ever met in his life and had determined that after 20 minutes of knowing her. After they had cooled down, Carlos asked, "Why have you been to 4 speed dating things? I mean, they obviously don't work out for you, hence the vomit guy, and you're just so beautiful guys should be in line behind me asking you out."

Ally could tell this wasn't a line he was just using to charm her. She saw how sincere he was in his eyes. She shrugged at the thought, "I've never really put myself out there I guess. In high school I was always focused on getting the hell out of there, and college I just wanted to start my business."

He nodded, accepting her answer. "Tell me about this business. What do you do?"

She grinned at the thought of her own business. She loved telling people all about it, "It's just down the street. Moore Clothes," Carlos laughed at the name, saying it was fitting and let Ally continue. "is a business I always wanted to start ever since I was like 10. My grandmother used to own a boutique in San Clemente , which is where I'm from, but when she passed away no one was there to keep it open. So my dad had to shut it down, and I've always wanted to open it back up. So last year, I finally had the money and experience to do it. I went to UCLA and finished and now here I am with my amazing business and delicious coffee." She sipped her coffee once again and smiled at him as he was grinning at her. "What do you do?"

He shook his head, sipping his own drink. "I'm in the music business. I'm in this band with a few buddies of mine."

"Are you guys popular?" Ally questioned, suddenly aware that the guy in front of her might be a celebrity. She really didn't know how to feel about that since she didn't like getting attention. She looked out the window to see if there was any one with a camera around like a paparazzi.

"No, no, we're trying to get there. We just got picked up by this record company, so we're going to see how it goes." Carlos shrugged, sipping his coffee again.

"Well, I bet you guys are really good." She smiled across the table and bit her lip unintentionally. Carlos watched the action and couldn't help but stare at her lips. He leaned up in his seat and put his elbows on the table. Ally felt nervous at his stare and glanced at her watch. "Oh, my god! It's almost 11:15. Shit! Melissa is going to kill me."

"I thought you were your own boss," Carlos chuckled, looking her in the eyes.

She returned his stare and smiled, "I am, but that doesn't mean I want to leave my employees alone in a clothing store." Ally leaned her own elbows on the table and sighed. She almost didn't want to leave this man in front of her, scared that this would be a dream.

It was like Carlos felt the same way and before she could move her arms, his hands reached across the table and gently laid them on her elbows.

"What do you say we get together tonight?"

"Are you asking a total stranger out on a date, ?"

"Isn't that how dating works? You start off as strangers then gradually work your way to knowing everything about someone? I mean, you should know that Miss Speed Dater." He smirked, his thumb moving back and forth on her elbow.

She chuckled at him, not giving in. "I happen to have a date already planned tonight."

His eyes bore into hers, trying to figure out if she was lying or really telling him the truth. He wasn't so sure since she had already said she didn't put herself out there too much. He smiled softly, his hand still on her elbow. "I don't believe you."

Ally laughed loudly this time, dropping her gaze from him. She waited a moment before looking back up at him, "It's true." She pursed her lips, seeing if she could confuse him more. She kind of felt sad for turning him down. This would be the _one day_ that she actually has a date with someone, and meets another guy.

"Well then, Ally," He pulled his arm from her and she silently missed the warmth that his arm had given. Carlos pulled out a pen from his back pocket and grabbed a napkin from the table. "I'm giving you my number, and I want you to call me when your date tonight ends unsuccessfully."

"And how do you know that's going to happen?" She grinned at him, standing up and grabbing her purse.

Carlos leaned back in his seat and grinned up at her, "I just have a feeling."

Ally hesitated from a moment on picking up the napkin, but finally did when she watched Carlos raise an eyebrow up at her. "I'll see you around, Carlos." She started turning away from him and almost stopped when she heard his reply.

"I'll see you tonight, Ally."

* * *

"Okay, I'm so so so so sorry, Melissa! This guy spilled coffee on me and we just sat there talking for over an hour! Please forgive me!" Ally rushed in to Moore Clothes and went right up to the register, not seeing a single person in the store.

Melissa chuckled, "Ally, it's fine. We've had like 4 people come in. It hasn't been bad at all." Ally let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god. Okay. I'm really sorry though. I just met this guy and-" she started smiling immediately.

"Oh, my god! You already like this guy? Tell me everything!" And so she did, from start to finish.

"So basically you have two dates tonight with two different guys?" Melissa asked, folding a few shirts before putting them out on display.

"What? No! I'm not calling this Carlos guy." Ally looked scared at the thought.

"Ally! You have to! What if he's the love of your life and your future with him holds hot, freaky sex and beautiful mixed Latino babies?" Melissa giggled.

Ally laughed at her, throwing hangers in to the basket under the counter. "Well what if the guy tonight is my future, hmm?"

"Look, I'm not saying you have to pick one of them right now. I'm just saying, go out with this guy Sarah got you in to, and if it doesn't work out, give Carlos a call. I bet he'll be very willing to help you-"

"Stop!" Ally put up a hand, seeing some girls walk in the store. "Welcome to Moore Clothes, let us know if you need any help finding anything!" She watched the girls head over to the new dresses in the corner and turned to Melissa. "What if this date tonight works out though? What do I do if I still want to call this Carlos guy?"

Melissa gave her boss a stern look, "Honey, if you don't call this guy no matter what, I'll be glad to do the job."

* * *

As the day passed, Ally slowly forgot about Carlos. They had a rush of customers after lunch and it stayed busy until closing time. When Ally got to her apartment, she hurried to get ready for her blind date and made it to the restaurant 5 minutes late.

She spotted Sarah easily with her platinum blond hair and hurried over to the table. She assumed the guy sitting across from her with the empty chair beside him was her date and Ally suddenly became very nervous. She glanced in the mirror and made sure her brown hair was in place and her make up hadn't smeared in the car. Her black pumps made her short legs look longer and the black body con stress hug her body in all the right places. She looked good and was proud for accomplishing the look.

Her stride to the table was full of confidence and so was her voice, "Hey, you guys! I'm so sorry I'm late. We had a busy today at the store." She apologized profusely to Sarah and her boyfriend Brian.

"Oh, honey, it's fine! Allyson, I want you to meet Logan Mitchell. Logan, this is Allyson Moore." Sarah took a sip of her wine as she introduced the two to each other.

Logan stood up to shake her hand, "It's very lovely to meet you, Allyson. Brian and Sarah have been telling me a lot about you." Ally sat down in the seat beside him as he pulled it out.

"It's nice to meet you, too, Logan. Thank you," Ally looked up at Sarah and smiled at her.

"We were just talking about our old schools, Allyson. Where is it that you went?"

"Oh," she glanced around the table, noticing all eyes were on her. "Uh, I'm from San Clemente, so I went to high school there. I graduated from UCLA last spring."

Logan nodded, "That's a great school. What was your major?"

"Fashion Merchandise. I minored in business." Ally smiled at him.

"Allyson owns Moore Clothes downtown. She has quite the collection of the some pretty stuff." Sarah buttered her up and sent her a wink across the table.

"We don't really feature any guy clothes, but we sometimes try to order a shipment of stuff to see if we can get more business with it." Ally noted, glancing down at her wine menu. She felt like she was going to need some alcohol to get through the night.

* * *

"Well, you two, it has been a lovely evening, but I'm afraid we need to get home. I have to be up early tomorrow for my yoga class; Allyson, will I see you there?" Sarah asked, an eyebrow raised and her hand on her boyfriend's arm.

"Uh, it's a possibility." Ally answered, inside yelling 'FUCK NO.' "I'll see you later, guys." Sarah and Brian waved a goodbye, leaving Ally alone with Logan for the first time that night. "I'm sorry for her. She can be pretty rude sometimes." She was referring to when Sarah said musicians didn't make any money during dinner. "I think being in a band is awesome."

Logan nodded, "It has it's perks. Is Sarah always such a bitch? Even before you got to dinner, she was just so uptight."

Ally laughed at his question, "She can be tolerable sometimes. Was this your first time meeting her?" They started walking towards Ally's car slowly.

"Yeah, I'm good friends with Brian and he practically begged me to come tonight so Sarah would stop bothering him about it. I don't usually do blind dates." Logan chuckled, sliding his hands in his pockets.

Ally nodded in agreement, "Yeah, I usually just don't date at all. I try, but it never works out."

"Really? A pretty girl like you should have hundreds of guys lined up for you." Logan smiled at her, sending her a soft wink. Ally blushed and looked away from him. She remembered Carlos saying that same thing and looked down at her watch.

"Wow, it's only 9:30."

"You maybe want to go get some ice cream or something? There's a place down the street; they have really good Rocky Road." Logan tried to bribe her with the flavor after hearing she liked it the best at dinner.

Ally put Carlos to the back of her mind and focused on the gorgeous man in front of her. She grinned and decided to just go with it, "I'd love to."

* * *

"So I had a really great time tonight," Logan said, walking with Ally back to her car. "I haven't been on a really good date in a while."

Ally laughed at him, "How long is a while?"

"Hmm, about 6 months." Logan answered, hearing a gasp come from Ally's mouth. "Shocking right?" He grinned at her.

Ally couldn't help but laugh even louder, "I was just kidding. I kind of beat you at the 'bad dating' game. I haven't had a good date in over a year. I tried speed dating a few times; not the kind of thing you want to experience."

Logan laughed at her response, "Seriously? Speed dating?"

"Guilty as charged," Ally held up her hands, grinning from ear to ear.

"I would love to hear more about this speed dating." Logan said, sounding curious about her adventures.

Ally smiled softly at him. She reached in to her purse and found a pen and a receipt for her lunch that day. "Well, this is my cell number." She handed it over to him after writing her number down on it. "If you want to go on a real date that doesn't involve Sarah then give me a call and I'll tell you all about my speed dating experiences." Man, everyone has been digging this story today, she thought.

"I'll give you a call, Allyson." Logan smiled, putting the receipt in his pocket. "Thank you again for the wonderful evening."

"Anytime," she grinned, accepting his hug and kiss on the cheek. She gave him a light peck at the same time and blushed. "Good night, Logan."

* * *

Ally waited patiently at the redlight beside the ice cream place she had just left. Her date was over and it was a success. So why was she still thinking about Carlos? Her thoughts went back to Melissa telling her to call Carlos no matter what. She was so hesitant to do anything so she pulled over in to the parking lot of a gas station and grabbed her phone.

Her fingers dialed a familiar number and she heard the red head pick up, "So my date was a success tonight."

"Really? That's great, Ally! Now why are you calling me about it?" Melissa asked, a chuckle in her voice.

"I keep thinking about that Carlos guy! I don't know what to do!" Ally was frantic. She facepalmed her head and groaned. "Help me, Melissa!"

Melissa laughed loudly on the other end, "Just call him, Ally! You won't regret it; I promise!"

"How do you know that?" Ally questioned, feeling anxious at the thought of calling him.

"Because it's always fun to have a one night stand, Al! That's what you want, isn't it?"

She stopped talking for a moment and thought about it. She hadn't had decent sex in almost 6 months and she could definitely use it right now. But did she want it with Carlos? Or did she want to try something else with him, like a relationship?

"I have absolutely no idea what I want right now," she softly laughed at herself, feeling completely stupid.

"Call him. If you don't want any sex, then tell him that. But call him and see what happens. Do it for me!" Melissa yelled, "Goodnight, boss!" She hung up the phone before Ally could say anything else.

She groaned and stared at the gas station for a minute, trying to recollect her thoughts. "Fuck it!"

Ally pulled the napkin with Carlos' number on it out and dialed the number. She hesitated before pressing call but did it anyway. The phone rang three times before she heard his voice on the other end, sounding completely sexy. "Hello?"

"Carlos?" Ally wanted to make sure she had the right number. She hoped her voice sounded normal and closed her eyes, trying not to freak out too much. "It's Ally…" she waited for a response but got nothing. "From the coffee shop?" Good god, did this guy already forget who she was?

"No, I remember." She heard him chuckle and let out a sigh of relief. "I'm just surprised you're actually calling me. Wow. So bad date then, eh?"

She heard herself laugh at him, "No, it actually went pretty well."

"Then why are you calling me, Ally?" She could practically hear his smirk on the other end and shuddered at the way her name sounded from his lips.

"Well, let's just say you made yourself pretty rememberable today, Carlos." She smiled at how clever that sounded and braced herself for his reply.

"I'm glad," His voice sounded husky over the phone and Ally was sure just listening to his voice was the best thing. "Hey, it's only 11. Not too late. Do you want to come over to my lovely adobe?" Ally dropped her jaw, trying to collect her thoughts and still remain calm. "I mean, if you don't want to you don't have to. It's just an offer."

"Well, do you have company?" Ally questioned, worried that maybe she bothered him at a bad time and that he had people over.

He chuckled, "It's just me and my dog, Sydney. So, please, feel free to come over. I would really enjoy it."

Ally took the phone away from her ear for a second, leaning her head against the headrest and silently mouthing, "OH MY GOD!"

"Ally?" His voice brought her back to reality and she coughed, "Did I lose you?"

"You didn't lose me. Text me your address and I'll be there soon." She said, hanging up the phone and actually screaming, "OH MY GOD!"

* * *

Ally nervously waited at the door after ringing the doorbell. She had never done anything this crazy and had no idea what she was doing. She looked up when she could see Carlos' figure coming down the hall. A dog was barking right behind his trail.

"Sydney, hush! It's just a visitor. It's fine." He opened the door with a grin on his face and looked at her up and down. "Wow, you look great! Is this for me or the other guy?" Sydney was still barking at the new scent.

"It was actually for the other guy," she smirked, eyeing the dog. "Hey, there." She lifted her hand and squatted down to doggy level.

"Oh, you don't have to get on the ground for her. She's just not used to seeing pretty girls over at all. She's a jealous puppy." Carlos looked down at Ally, surprised she was on her knees petting his dog.

"I love dogs! She's really cute." She purposely didn't say anything about his 'pretty girl' comment.

"Well, when you're ready, you can come on inside." He laughed at her as she got up to stand in front of him. "Welcome to my home!"

"It's amazing. Definitely has no comparison to my apartment." She walked in, hovering in the path between the living room and kitchen. She noticed the TV was on ESPN and there was plate with a half-eaten sandwich on a napkin in the kitchen.

Carlos shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets and walking up beside her. "I'm sure your apartment's fine. It took me forever to find this place. Finally moved in last year."

Ally turned to look at him and took in his appearance. He was wearing the same jeans from earlier but had a purple zip up jacket on with a snapback hat turned around so that the bill was in the back. He looked good nonetheless.

"Well, it looks great." She nodded at him, crossing her arms and just standing there, having no idea what to do.

"Uh," Carlos looked towards the TV and then back at Ally. "Do you want to watch a movie or something? Just hang out?" He jumped over the couch and plopped down, already reaching for the remote.

"Sure, that sounds good." Ally walked around the couch and sat down beside him, leaving about a foot of space between them.

"Feel free to make yourself comfortable; take off those heels if ya want," he looked over at her, smirking and letting his eyes trail down her tan legs and landing on her feet. Ally slipped them off and placed them beside her feet while Carlos settled on "Due Date" on the TV. "So, tell me about this date."

Ally looked over at him, seeing he was indulged in the screen. "He was a nice guy," she answered, turning her attention up the screen too. She felt his gaze shift down to her.

"Then why did you call?" He questioned her, admiring her facial structure. "You said it went well?"

Ally turned her gaze to him and they both sat there staring at each other. "Honestly…I was having a really good time. But he said something and it made me think of you…and as soon as that happened, I couldn't stop."

Carlos didn't make any emotion. He just stared at her, wondering if she was serious. This girl confused the shit out of him. She was so honest and he wasn't used to it. He was used to girls throwing themselves at him and saying anything to get him in the sack. He knew he was in trouble with the one sitting in front of him on his couch.

"So what's the deal with him then? You gonna see him again?" He asked, not knowing what to do in this situation because he honestly had no clue what he was doing.

She shrugged, "Maybe. It depends."

"On what?" He asked, his lips starting to form a smile.

She watched him and couldn't help but smile too. "I'm not really sure yet."

Carlos stared at her for a second longer before silently laughing and shaking his head. This was surreal. He looked at the TV again and looked back at her. She was just grinning and watching the movie. "Do you want anything to drink? I've got some soda, Gatorade, beer, some really good wine, uhhh, there's some tequila I think from last week."

She chuckled at him, "I'll drink whatever you drink." He stood up, thinking 'challenge accepted', and walked to the kitchen. He grabbed two beers from the fridge and opened the caps by hitting them on the counter. He took a deep breath as he walked back in to the living. He handed her a beer and plopped down beside her, leaving hardly any room between the two of them. "Smooth move." Ally laughed at him, noticing how close he was sitting to her.

"Thank you, thank you," He took a gulp of his beer and then grinned at her, "I try sometimes."

Ally laughed at him before taking a gulp of her own beer. "So, tell me more about this band you're in. It obviously pays well." She joked and Carlos started laughing.

* * *

One hour and two beers later, the movie was forgotten and Carlos and Ally were in his kitchen. Ally was sitting up on the counter while Carlos tried to unsuccessfully make cupcakes. "You're doing it wrong! Add the egg!" Ally drunkenly laughed at him.

"Woman, this is my kitchen! I will make cupcakes how I want!" He dropped the egg shell in the batter and cursed. "Shit, I'm totally screwing this up right now." He laughed, trying to grab the shell out but completely crushing it with his fingers instead. "Shit!" Ally laughed louder at him and jumped off the counter.

She slid up behind him, placing a hand on the small of his back to lean over the bowl. "It shouldn't be this funny to make cupcakes," she giggled, reaching in to the bowl and gently grabbing the shells. She turned around to toss them in the garbage and Carlos kept his eyes on her.

The moment she touched his back, the whole atmosphere changed. He suddenly felt hot and extremely turned on. They had been cutting up night since the beers and had been having such a fun night. Thoughts of trying to flirt with her had stopped when he realized he didn't need to try anymore. He was just going to be himself and it was working and he had hoped to God that she wasn't going to turn him down tonight.

He stepped up behind her and licked his lips and as soon as she turned around and saw him standing so close, her smile dropped and she noticed the lust in his eyes. She couldn't say anything. It was like she was paralyzed. Ally let her eyes fall to his lips and she knew she wasn't going to be able to resist him much longer. Thankfully she didn't have to worry about that for too long.

Carlos took one more step towards her so Ally could feel him breathing on her lips. Their height difference wasn't too far off. At 5'5, Ally's lips easily could be turned upward and would hit his directly. And that's just what they did. Carlos tilted her head up and pressed his lips against hers, and they both sighed in to the kiss.

Ally's hands immediately wrapped around his neck and his went directly to gripping his sides. He opened his mouth and quickly begged to be let in to hers and she didn't hesitate to welcome him. His tongue pushed against hers and she let out a moan, causing him to get chills down his spine.

Her head tilted to the side as his lips moved to travel down to her neck, stopping right below her ear to softly suck on the skin right there. She couldn't help but groan when she felt his teeth gently nibble her earlobe. Ally couldn't take it anymore and moved her lips back to his, biting his lip and earning a moan from him.

Carlos hoisted her up on to his counter and placed himself in between her legs. They wrapped around his waist and pulled him even closer to her. Their tongues continued to battle each other as their hands explored all parts of their bodies. Her hands roamed down his back and ended up underneath his shirt, nails grazing his skin and feeling the warmth. She didn't pause to pull off his jacket and shirt and giggled as his hat fell to the ground with his other clothes.

As soon as the materials were off, Carlos pushed himself back in to Ally and grabbing her neck, holding her close to him. One hand held on to her neck while the other slowly travelled south, first grazing her upperchest, slowing down as it reached her breast. He gently squeezed, enjoying the feel of her and the sound that escaped her adorable mouth. Carlos didn't stop though; he kept going. His hand teased its way down her ribcage, and finally landed at her hip. She was reeling from the sensations he was sending her and almost groaned when she felt his fingers dance across her thigh and quickly slip underneath her black dress.

She rolled her head to the side so that he could ravage her neck and hear her moan his name as his fingers itched closer to her center. They were only centimeters away now. "Carlos," she moaned as he sucked on her neck again and slowly moved his hand closer to where she wanted it. He finally stopped teasing her and let his hand move freely to her. She gasped as she felt his fingers against her, over her underwear and she instantly thanked herself for doing laundry the day before so that she would have black sexy lingerie underneath.

Carlos couldn't control himself anymore; he needed to feel Ally. He used his fingers to push her panties aside and slowly traced small circles around her clit, grinning in to her neck as she moaned out his name again. He slid his forefinger up and down and instantly felt himself get harder at how wet she was. Slowly, he slipped his finger in to her and felt her hands grip his back. Another finger was added a second later and he began to pump his digits in and out of her.

"You like that?" He asked in her ear, nipping at her lobe again, knowing it was going to drive her crazy.

"God, yes." Ally moaned, enjoying this feeling. She pulled her head up and opened her eyes, and found his immediately boring in to hers. He shot her a grin and she couldn't help but smile back. Ally tried to think clearly but it was really hard when you were drunk and had an amazingly sexy guy fingering you. Her lids started to close but she jolted them open and put a hand down on his to stop him from bringing her to the edge.

"What's wrong?" He asked, suddenly concerned.

"Where's your bedroom?" She asked, not sure if she really wanted to do this on his kitchen counter…where he ate…every day.

Carlos let out a sigh of relief and shook his head at her. With her legs still wrapped around him, Carlos lifted Ally off the counter and laughed at her while she squealed. On the short walk to his bedroom, Ally couldn't help but lean down every so often and press light pecks against Carlos' lips. As she did this, they both knew that they were getting in to a lot of trouble because in that moment, they knew it wouldn't be easy to let go of each other.

**Woo woo! Carlos sex! Woo. REVIEW! love you guys, xoxo J.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I feel like I'm putting more focus in to this story and I just flat out love it.**

Ally rolled over in her sleep, feeling the sunlight hit her back, and she suddenly opened her eyes. The room was unfamiliar as she tried to blink away the dull headache she was having. She let out a groan at the bright sun and turned her head the other way, sliding further down in to the mass of blankets.

She became aware that she was completely naked and opened her eyes again. Right in front of her was a sleeping Carlos, mouth slightly parted and completely asleep. He was turned on his back with one hand splayed across his chest and the other by his side, only an inch away from her body. Ally took a moment to check out his sleeping form.

The cover was hanging very low on his hips. She could see the 'v' his hip bones created and eyed the disappearing happy trail that led to greater things under the blanket. Her eyes trailed higher and she itched to trace the design of his tattoo that was on his side. She didn't notice it the night before, but then again she was completely wasted. She let her eyes keep moving until they settled on the man's face. Ally couldn't help but show a small smile and his sleeping face. He looked like such a little boy, but she knew that he was far from it.

Ally stopped her staring and looked around the room for the time. Her gaze found an alarm clock on Carlos' bedside table and her eyes nearly popped out of her skull. It was 8:15 and she needed to be at her store in 45 minutes! Carefully, Ally lifted the blankets off her body and found her dress on the floor. She slipped it on and tiptoed to the bedroom store. She paused to take one more glance at Carlos and grinned, knowing she would see him again.

As soon as Ally was out of his room, she ran in to Sydney just sitting in front of the door. "Hey, girl," she whispered, momentarily petting the dog before walking to the living room and picking up her shoes. She realized that she had left her bra and panties in Carlos' room and decided to just leave them there. She didn't want to risk waking him up and dealing with the embarrassment of this one night stand. "Bye, Sydney." She whispered to the dog again, waving at her as if she would wave back. She grinned, opening the door and looking back at the dog. Sydney was panting and it almost looked like she was smiling back.

Ally chuckled, closing the door and walking fast to her car.

* * *

Moore Clothes was incredibly busy that particular day. They had started a "Buy one, get one free!" deal that morning and a decent sized crowd was inside the store. Ally couldn't really complain; she always loved helping customers in any way. The only complaint that she did have though was her ongoing hangover. There was no nausea, but her headache was getting worse and worse. It didn't help that every chance Melissa got, she was harassing Ally with questions, trying to get some juicy details on the night before.

At 3, the store finally slowed down, only having two or three shoppers browsing their selection. Melissa leaned against the register as Ally began organizing more hangers.

"So was he good?" Melissa asked, popping a bubble of her gum and grinning.

Ally laughed at her, "I'm not talking about this—and what did I tell you about chewing gum here?"

"Come on!" Melissa laughed, pulling the gum out of her mouth and tossing it in the trash below her. "You called me asking for advice and now you won't even tell me what happened? Some friend you are!" She joked, earning another grin from Ally.

"Fine!" Ally stopped messing with the hangers and turned to look at Melissa. "I went over there, got completely wasted, and we fucked. Happy?"

"No! Come on, I want juicy deets! Was he big? All the Latinos I've been with are _always_ big." Melissa wiggled her eyebrows, trying to get Ally to say something. She blushed at the question and only looked at Melissa with a shy face. Melissa chuckled at her, "So he definitely was big. Now, was he good?"

"Melissa!" Ally laughed and hoped Melissa wasn't going to make her answer the question, but the stern yet happy look on her face made her answer. "All right! Yes, he was un-fucking-believable!"

"Atta, girl! You deserve some good lovin'." Melissa joked, opening up the magazine beside the register. "So what about that other guy?"

"Oh, crap," Ally had completely forgotten about her date with Logan, She suddenly felt very bad for leaving the date and going off to see Carlos. "Am I a terrible person? I'm totally a terrible person."

Melissa laughed, flipping a page in her magazine. "Relax; you're not a terrible person. You're enjoying your youth."

"Well what am I supposed to do now?" Ally asked, mentally trying to figure out something in her head. "I mean, I met them both yesterday. So I don't really know a lot about either of them. When I was with both of them, I just felt…" she searched for the word, "Safe? Comfortable? I don't know. Maybe I'm over thinking it. Maybe neither one of them will call me back."

Melissa shook her head, "Honey, one of them will call you. Give it some time. This is what I would do: go out with both of them. I'm not saying cheat, I'm saying go on a few dates, get to know them, and see what happens. Figure out which one you like more."

Ally groaned, leaning her head down on the counter. "I go months and months without a decent date and one day, life decides to throw two guys at me at once."

"Honey, most girls would not complain about this situation." Melissa laughed, looking up at a lady who was ready to check out. "Did you find everything okay?"

* * *

At seven o'clock that night Ally was still at Moore Clothes. They had closed 30 minutes after five due to a few women still browsing, but she had let Melissa go early. Now here she was, finishing up inventory and counting the day's sales. She had just finished when she heard her phone go off.

She answered it without looking, "This is Allyson Moore."

"Hey, Allyson, it's, uh, Logan from last night?" Ally's eyes went wide and she felt a race pick up in her heart race.

"Oh, hey, Logan," Ally leaned back in her rolly chair and waited for him to say something.

"I wasn't sure if calling the day after a date would be cool or not, but I went ahead and did it anyway," she heard him softly chuckle and she started to smile.

"It's very cool. Um, how are you?" She asked, not sure what else to say.

"I'm good. I've been dancing for a while today, so I'm a little sore, but all in all I'm good." Ally couldn't help but imagine him doing a few dance moves in her mind. "How are you?"

"I guess I'm good too. I've had a busy busy day," she chuckled. "The store had a special sale today and we were swamped all day."

"Well, you're making money, right? So it's all good." They shared a laugh before he continued. "So, I was gonna call and see if you wanted to grab dinner tomorrow and maybe go see a movie or something?"

Ally had to think for a second and hope she didn't have plans, "Let me look at my schedule real quick." She glanced down at the calendar on her desk and saw a few things scheduled for the day but nothing in the evening. It was a Friday and she tried to keep that day open for anything. "You're in luck; I've got nothing planned."

"Great! So, I'll pick you up around 7 then?" She could tell he was smiling and couldn't help but smile herself.

"Sure, that sounds great. I'll text you my address."

"Awesome," he laughed. "I can't wait to see you."

Ally felt her cheeks turn red and she giggled, "I can't wait either, Logan. Goodnight." She listened to him say goodnight to her before hanging up.

* * *

Later that night, Ally found herself indulging in some Chinese take-out and a rerun of _The Office_. Her phone buzzed, signaling that she had a text message and she glanced from the TV, chewing on her chicken and grabbing her phone. She slide the unlock button and couldn't help but laugh at the text.

It was from Carlos and he had sent her a picture of her underwear from the previous night. They were hanging out on the edge of his white sheets and stood out because of them being black. Underneath the picture was a caption saying, "I think you forgot something."

Ally replied back after a few minutes of thinking of something crafty to say.

**Did I? I thought you might want them as a present.**

After she sent that she immediately felt like such a stupid girl. "Present? Come on, Ally. Get with it!" She told herself, rolling her eyes. Not even a full minute later was her phone buzzing again.

_Present? It's not my birthday and Christmas is two months away. _

She chuckled, not really sure how to respond.

**It must've come early then.**

_I'm pretty sure neither one of us came early ;)_

Ally choked on her food as she was reading the reply. She wasn't expecting that response at all. Now she _knew_ her reply back had to be insanely clever. It was going to take her a minute.

**During the first two rounds. ;)**

She felt like that was feisty enough and actually had truth behind it. She might've been drunk but she clearly and vividly remembered each time they brought each other to a climax and the third time, Carlos had came very quickly when she was giving him head.

She sighed at the memory of last night. She was quickly getting turned on and her food and TV were lost. Her focus was put on last night and all the ways Carlos had touched her body.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. She took the time to actually see who was calling before answering it. It was Carlos and when she saw his name, she grinned. "Hello?"

"That one doesn't count. I know what you're talking about and it doesn't count!" Ally couldn't help but laugh at his seriousness. "Don't laugh at me!" He laughed along with her.

"I think it does count," She said, muting the TV so she could hear him better. "I was down there for not even three minutes before you—"

"Don't finish that sentence, Ally." Carlos jokingly demanded. She could hear the joking tone in his voice and let out a laugh. "Why'd you leave without a kiss goodbye? I feel so used."

Ally laughed again, "I had to go to work. I didn't want to wake you up."

"No apologizes for the feeling used part?" He asked, fake pouting.

"Nope," she chuckled, hearing his gasp. "Oh please, we both know you don't feel that way."

"You're right. I don't feel used at all." They both laughed. "So when can I see you again?" His voice became low and Ally's jaw slightly dropped, trying to think.

"Um, I'm not sure."

"How about tomorrow night? We can go get some dinner, hit up the bowling alley or some mini golf, something totally cheesy." Carlos laughed.

Ally frowned, remembering her plans with Logan. "I actually can't tomorrow night."

"Aw, come on. What's stopping you? A date with that other guy?" He asked, joking about the guy. When he only got silence from her he sat up on his couch. "Wait-seriously?" He laughed, knowing she was about to tell him yes.

"He called me earlier and beat you to the punch." She smiled, hoping she wasn't hurting his feelings.

Carlos groaned on the other end, "You're killing me, girl. It's a slow, painful death over here."

Ally couldn't help but grin at him, "I'll make it up to you." As soon as it came out, she didn't really know what it meant but she knew she had perked him up a bit.

"Oh, really? How's that?" His voice got even deeper and Ally thought she had lost it.

"I'm not real sure yet. I'll let you know," she tried to make her voice drop an octave like his and hoped that she didn't sound awkward to him.

"Well when you figure it out, don't hesitate to share. I'll just over here…dying." Ally laughed at him again. "But seriously, when is a free day for you to come out on a date with me? I'm sure that guy doesn't have every day with you. He's gotta give me a chance to wow you even more than I already have." He chuckled, practically telling her that he was better than this other guy.

Ally laughed at his bluntness, "Wow! Someone is cocky tonight."

"Some is _very _cocky tonight."

She blushed at his innuendo, "Well, Carlos, I'll go ahead and tell you I'm free on Sunday."

"I hope I can make it three days without you then because just being away from you for ten hours is already torture." Carlos told her honestly with a sincere voice. "You are something else, Ally Moore."

She blushed again and smiled, looking down at her knees, "Flattery will get you everywhere, Carlos Garcia. I'll see you later."

* * *

"Wow, you look amazing," Logan let out a deep breath when Ally answered the door in a soft pink dress that hit mid-thigh. Her feet were covered in nude pumps that made her a few inches taller, but not much. She let her hair fall around her neck in a smooth, straight look. Her make-up was there but it wasn't much. Just her normal foundation with a swipe of eye shadow and mascara.

Ally let out a soft laugh, looking down at her feet. "Thanks, you look good too." And Logan indeed looked good. He was wearing dark jeans and white button up with a black vest thrown over it. He had a pair of Nike's on his feet that made Ally go crazy.

He held out his hand for her to take after she closed and locked the door to her apartment. She gladly accepted his hand and felt herself start to blush. She wasn't used to boys being so affectionate and caring. So with Carlos' antics and Logan just being so cute, she was blushing a lot lately.

"So what do you have planned for us this evening, Mr. Mitchell?" Ally questioned, watching him press the elevator call button.

"Well, Allyson, we are going to dinner and after that, it's a surprise." Ally smiled when he called her by her full name. It kinda felt good to actually hear 'Allyson' for once.

"I actually like surprises, so bring it on."

He gawked at her as they stepped through the elevator doors. "I'm pretty sure you're the first girl I've ever heard that said she liked surprises."

Ally laughed, "Well some surprises I don't-like going in to a bank and then suddenly people start robbing it. That's _not_ a good surprise. Are we going to a bank tonight?"

Logan shook his head, laughing, "No, I didn't plan on it."

"Great, then tonight should be perfect," She grinned at him, as he held her hand a bit tighter.

"I'm hoping so."

* * *

"And that concludes my speed dating stories," Ally laughed, finishing off her second glass of white wine as Logan kept laughing.

"That is the worst dating story I've ever heard! I'm surprised you even got back in the field after that guy." He looked up at the waiter as he brought out the bill, "Thanks, man."

Ally watched him open the black case, a smile still on his face and shaking his head. "All that wine, missy, is costing more than your food." He glanced up at her, sending her a wink.

"Hey, now, you ordered the bottle!" She laughed at him, rolling her eyes playfully.

"I know, I know," He laughed, signing the slip with his signature and standing up. He wobbled for a second, "I think my own second glass was a little more than I bargained for." He watched her eyes widen at him, "I'm totally kidding! I only took like a sip of it. Promise!"

"Thank god, I was worried that you would get behind the wheel—"

"I would never ever put you in danger like that," Logan rushed out, holding out his hand for her to take. "We need to get going or else we'll miss the show."

"The show? I thought we were going to a movie," Ally looked confused as they walked out the restaurant doors and towards his car.

"Did I say that?" Logan asked, a mischievous smile toying on his lips. "I believe I said, 'A movie or _something_', but never actually specified." They reached his car and he unlocked it, opening the door for her.

"Well, let's hurry then. Wouldn't want to miss the show," She sarcastically said, her own smile dancing across her mouth. They got on the streets and listened to the radio as they drove. Ally felt her phone vibrate in her purse and she pulled it out. Smirking when she saw it was from Carlos.

_Hope you're enjoying your date tonight. Just remember that Sunday will be better ;)_

She scoffed with a smile and tossed her phone back in her phone without replying. She was having a great time with Logan and wasn't about to let Carlos ruin her thoughts. "Everything okay?" Logan asked, looking over at her as he turned his blinker on.

"Oh, yeah. It's all good." She grinned at him, enjoying her wine feelings.

Suddenly his phone started ringing and he returned the grin before letting himself answer it. With one hand steady on the wheel and the other holding the phone against his ear, he answered, "Hey, man. What's up?"

Ally watched his facial expressions, amused by his eyes. "I can't tonight, dude. I'm on a date." Logan looked over at Ally and she grinned at him again, "Yeah, it's going good. Listen, Los, just call Kendall or James. I'm sure they aren't doing anything tonight. All right, man, I'll see you later."

He hung up the phone and placed it back in his pocket. "Sorry about that. Just my band mate wanting to hang out tonight," Logan didn't put his hand back on the steering wheel like she expected. Instead he reached over for her own hand and held it on her lap. "This okay?"

Ally felt so many emotions at once when he asked, "This is perfect." Logan was such an amazing guy. He was sweet and thoughtful, making sure it was okay to just simply hold her hand. Not to mention his looks were off the chart and those dimples when he smiled basically set Ally's heart ablaze.

* * *

"Coldplay?!" Ally shouted, still in shock that they were in a balcony overlooking the stage, "You got us tickets for fucking Coldplay?!"

Logan had been laughing ever since she realized where they were. With her on the tipsy side, everything she did was insanely funny and he was loving every minute of it. "A buddy of mine couldn't make it so he just passed them along to me. I remember you saying you listened to Coldplay a lot, so I figured this would be the best date."

"Holy shit, best fucking date ever!" Ally shrieked, jumping up and down for a second and then wrapping her arms around his neck to give him the tightest hug possible. "I've never seen them in concert before, thank you so much!" With her tipsy, she didn't even think before pulling back and giving Logan a kiss on the mouth. She stayed there for a moment, not sure if she wanted to pull back or not.

Logan was shocked for a second but when he realized what was happening, he grinned in to the kiss and held her closely around the waist. She pulled back when she heard the sound of pyros going off and remembered that she was at a Coldplay concert. She grinned at him before turning her attention to the stage. The sounds of "Mylo Xyloto" started playing and Ally freaked out.

"This is fucking amazing!"

* * *

"I still can't believe you took me to see Coldplay. Do you realize how amazing you are right now?" Ally gushed at him, putting her hand on his arm in the elevator back up to her apartment. "I mean, seriously, no one, not even my parents, have ever bought me tickets to see Coldplay. And in those seats nonetheless!" They stepped out of the elevator and she reached in to her purse for her keys.

"So does that mean this date was better than the speed dates?" Logan asked, laughing at her face. She had shot him a look of death and then she smiled. "I'm taking that as a yes."

"Take that as a hell yes!" She laughed. They stopped at her door and Ally turned around to face him, her back leaning against the wall. "We're here," she stated, looking down at her shoes again before looking back up at him. "I had an amazing time tonight, Logan."

"I think I had a better time just putting that smile on your face," He took a step closer to her and put his hand up on her cheek, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on her lips. When he pulled back, Ally was looking down and blushing. "Why do you blush so much?" He asked, a smirk on his mouth.

She looked up at his eyes and he was still only and inch away from her. Her shrug told him nothing, "It's just a bad habit I guess."

"Well, I like it. I think you look beautiful," he whispered, looking deep in her eyes before moving his thumb back and forth across her cheek. Her smile grew on her lips and her blush rose up again. Logan leaned down to close the gap and they both closed their eyes.

Ally enjoyed this. Logan took his time with his lips on hers and she breathed him in. He tasted like sweet mint and beer but she really had no problem with it. Her mouth couldn't take it anymore and she opened it up, lightly pressing her tongue against his lips, asking for an entry. He didn't hesitate to give it to her and Ally wrapped her arms around his neck.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, just passionately kissing in her hallway to her apartment. When Logan pulled away, he leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. "You are something else, Allyson."

She giggled, looking up at him as he pulled his head back. "I had a really, really great time tonight. You don't even know," she let her fingers toy the hair at his neck.

"So, I know this might be over-doing it, but when can I see you again?" Logan asked, smiling down at her.

"I'm actually going out of town next week for a few days. I have to go to a conference in Atlanta. I'm coming back on Wednesday, I think."

He nodded his head, understanding. "Then I am going to leave now before we get too attached and I miss you insanely." Ally laughed at him, dropping her hands from his neck and stepping back. "Be careful and whatnot. You have my number if you want to call while you're gone."

She nodded at him, "I might take you up on that, sir. I'm gonna have some boring nights." Her subtle wink made him blush for the first time that night and Ally laughed at him.

"I'll talk to you later," Logan chuckled, coming closer to Ally so he could place a chaste kiss on the lips and a big hug. "You behave while you're gone."

She laughed at him, "_You_ behave while I'm gone."

* * *

Ally groaned as she pulled up to her old house in San Clemente. Her drive only took her an hour and she was pretty pleased, but then she remembered where she was and was already annoyed. It wasn't that she hated coming back home to spend time with her parents; she just hated how typical their conversations were with her and how they always pressure her in to doing things.

Her brother's car was already in the driveway and that soothed Ally just a bit, but she knew his girlfriend, Sarah's sister, Jennifer would be super glued to his side the entire night. Jennifer and Sarah looked nothing alike but their personalities were two peas in a pod-stuck up, annoying, and obsessive compulsive. Jennifer's was just a little tinier than Sarah's.

She didn't bother knocking but just walked right on in, "Guys?" She called out. "I'm here!"

"We're in the living room, Allyson." She heard her mom yell back at her and Ally straightened out her knee length dress before walking in. "Oh, honey, you look gorgeous!" Julienne stood up, giving Ally a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks, mom. You look smashing yourself." Ally returned the kiss and looked at her dad, Patrick. "Hey, dad."

"Allyson," his greeting consisted of only that. A simple nod followed right after it but Ally didn't think about it. Her dad was always so serious about everything.

"Oh, well hey, big brother. The closest blood relative that I have that lives in the same city as me but doesn't even bother to call and ask about car-pooling," Ally joked at Michael and put both her hands on her hips.

"Ally," Michael stood up and pulled her in to a big bear hug. "I didn't really think about it. Jennifer and I have been super busy lately with work and it just didn't cross my mind."

"You're forgiven, I guess." Ally smirked at him before turning to Jennifer, who looked incredibly bored. "How's it going, Jennifer?"

The blonde looked up when her name was called and gave a fake smile, "I'm doing just fine, Allyson."

Ally gave a stiff grin, looking at her brother with a raised eyebrow before replying. "Well, good."

"Now that you're here, Allyson, I guess we can go ahead and have dinner." Julienne stood up, pacing to the kitchen to bring the food out on to the table.

"I'll help you, mom." Ally offered, not wanting to be alone in the same room as Jennifer or her dad for too long.

* * *

"So, Allyson, Jennifer told us her sister took you out on a double date a few nights ago. How'd that go? Was he nice? Was there a connection?" Her mother quizzed, taking a small bite of mashed potatoes.

"Um," Ally took a second to swallow her water before answering. "Yeah, I had a really good time. His name is Logan and we went out again last night. So I guess there was a connection."

"What does this boy do?" Patrick asked.

Ally glanced at her dad before looking down at her plate, "He's a musician."

She already knew her dad was rolling his eyes. "Allyson, a musician does not have a steady career. What are you doing going out with a boy with that as a job title?"

"Dad, it was a blind date." Ally tried to defend Logan. "It's not like I'm going to marry the guy."

"Then what's the point of dating him? We've already told you that you need to settle down. A 22 year old woman living in Los Angeles alone is not safe." This was the same speech Ally got every time she came down to see her parents. It was why she tried to keep it at a maximum of once a month of visiting. "You're not getting any younger and soon enough no man is going to want to take you out."

"Dad, that's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Michael tried to step in so their dad would calm down but it never worked. Ally sent him a gracious smile, thanking him for trying but knowing it wouldn't stop their dad's rant.

"I'm just stating the facts. Musicians are not reliable and Los Angeles is not safe. Allyson, you need to get your act together. Do you understand?" Patrick gave her the stern daddy face that always made her shrink in her seat.

"Yeah, dad."

"Allyson," her mother scolded her for her manners.

She coughed, covering her mouth with her rolled up fist. "Yes, sir. I understand."

"You need to be thinking long term, Allyson. Whoreing around will not get you a husband. You know dating the right people is what you need to be doing and musicians just aren't right. You're so focused on that damn store that you forget you need a steady man in your life. You think you're going to have that store in 5 years, Allyson? Without a husband to help you run it, you will run that place to the very ground. I never understood why you and your grandmother were so in love with that silly clothing mess."

"Dad, that's enough!" Michael near shouted at him when he saw that his baby sister was holding back her tears.

"Michael, do not shout at your father!" Julienne scolded. Jennifer just sat there, completely amused by the drama.

"Mom, he's being—"

"Michael." Julienne sent her son a look that made him shut up instantly.

Ally looked down at her plate and in the silence, she tried so hard not to cry. She knew her father hated her reopening his dead mother's old store. She knew he didn't believe in her and every time she managed to get over the fact, he opened his mouth and made sure she knew it.

"It's okay, Michael. Dad's just upset that I'm actually making it somewhere in life and not following his rules." She stood up, smiling at her brother. He smiled back at her, knowing she was about to stand up for herself and have the balls he never did.

"Allyson—" her dad started, with an angry tone in his voice.

"No, dad, you don't get to say anything else. You've belittled me too much tonight and I'm not going to take it. You're right; I do put most of my focus on my _damn_ store. I'm so sorry for being passionate about something that doesn't have a dick. I'm sorry that my focus isn't on a husband right now. Frankly, I could care less about guys because I have the dream job that I've always wanted, so you know what? You can fuck off, dad." She watched him lean back in his chair and her heard her mother gasp. "I'm doing what I love and I'm proud of it. I'm sorry that that's never enough for you." With that, she threw her napkin on her plate and walked out of the room and into the foyer where she grabbed her purse and slammed the door.

She took a deep breath before getting in her car and taking off.

* * *

"So you realize dad is in a heaping fuss right now, right?" Michael laughed in to the phone as Ally lounged around on her couch. "I still can't believe you told him to fuck off. It's so surreal."

"God, I'm going to have hell to pay for that. They're not going to talk to me for months." She rolled her eyes, smiling to herself. She felt pretty confident right about now.

"Try years, Al. But then again, why complain? Get 'em off your back for a while."

"You think I was stupid for yelling at him like that?"

"No way. He's been unsupportive about your job ever since you told him it was what you wanted to do. I'm just glad it was you that said something. If it was me, he definitely would have hit me."

"Mom's face was priceless." Ally laughed at the memory of her mom's pale face.

"They were quiet for about ten minutes. They didn't move. I'm pretty sure Jennifer was about to start laughing and I was too. It was just…amazing, Ally. It was so amazing."

She grinned, happy that she could please her brother. "Listen, it's getting pretty late, so I'm gonna head to bed. I'll talk to you later, big brother."

"All right, love you, Al."

"Love you, too."

As soon as she hung up with Michael, her phone lit up with another phone call. She was scared it was her parents but calmed down when she saw it was only Carlos. "Hello?"

"Meet me at my place at 1. Bring your swimsuit." His voice was deep and Ally couldn't help but grin at the sound.

"Yes, sir." When he heard her confirm, he hung up and Ally pulled the phone away from her ear, grinning like crazy.

**So totally in love with this. Next chapter is going to be all about Ally's date with Carlos and a few more surprises! Please leave a review, you guys don't know what those do! Tell me if you like this story or not and tell me some ideas because they don't go unnoticed or get ignored!  
xoxo, J**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey everyone! I apologize for my lack of updates but I started my college classes this week and have been swamped. But here ya' go. The ending starts to get crazy.**

Ally made sure she showed up at Carlos' house right on time. She was never one to be late for anything. Before getting out of the car, she made sure her hair and make-up were okay and that her bathing suit was in place underneath her cover up. She made sure to pack a bag of extra clothes just in case.

Carlos made his way out of his front door, checking it to make sure it locked and ran over to open the car door for Ally. "My lady," he grinned at her as he held her hand to help her out. She chuckled at him, "Don't you look all cute today. Is this for me?"

Ally stood up and looked down at her white floral cover up. "Don't be silly. You know I look this good every day." She joked and smiled when Carlos let out a laugh.

"Let me take your bag. We need to get a move on." She handed him her duffel bag and he put it in the back of his Jeep Wrangler. "Let's hit the road, Jack!"

* * *

"All right, so let's start 20 questions. Ready? Go!" Carlos exclaimed, turning on to the highway. They'd been on the road for 10 minutes and had been chatting nonstop. Carlos didn't want to stop the talking now so he decided to play the elementary school game.

"Oh! Um, where are we go?" Ally laughed at her question and Carlos' face.

"So not fair!" He looked fake annoyed. "Fine, I'll answer it. Malibu. We're going to Malibu."

"Ooh, Malibu, what's in Malibu?" Ally asked again.

"Hey! That's a second question. It's my turn now. Why are you such a cheater?" Carlos asked her, chuckling.

"I'm not a cheater; I just played the game fairly. My turn!" She yelped, knowing that he didn't even realize he asked her a question.

"Wait-what?! No! That wasn't my question!" Carlos shouted, glancing over at her with wide eyes. "Dammit!"

"It's still my turn!" Ally laughed before asking him her next question. "All right, so how old are you?"

"I am 23 years old. My birthday is August 15." He answered, hoping she would voluntarily tell him her age so he wouldn't have to ask.

"Well, I am 22 and my birthday is October 28." She basically read his mind and cut him a break.

"That's just around the corner!" Carlos got excited, hoping he would get to spend her birthday with her and maybe even Halloween. "Do you have birthday plans yet? Because I would seriously enjoy helping you celebrate." He shot a grin her way and she couldn't help but blush.

"I do not have plans yet, but I'll let you know when I make them." She laughed as he gave her a thumbs up. "Okay, so do you prefer Chinese food or Italian? The answer totally matters!"

"Chinese food all the way!" Ally raised her head to give him a hi-five. They asked a few more questions back and forth until they were about 10 minutes from their destination. "How many vacations have you been on?"

"Uh," Ally thought for a minute. "I went to Disneyland a long time ago with my parents and brother. I don't really remember another vacation after that."

Carlos laughs, "Geeze, did your parents not love you or something?"

Ally just blankly stared at him for a second before turning her head and looking out the window. She recalled the fight she had last night with her parents and suddenly felt bad. She lost interest in the game of getting to know each other and felt her walls start to build up. She knew Carlos was staring at her and knew he must've hit a nerve because he got quiet. "That's two questions." She mumbled.

"Ally, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"It's okay. Really." Ally shook off the remembrance of last night and got back in to a good mood, but she knew she was slowly crumbling inside and she was sure Carlos saw right through her. "So is this the place?"

Carlos pulled in to the driveway of a beach house and parked the car. "Yeah, this is my friend James' place. He said I could come down today so here we are."

Ally stepped out of the Jeep and put a big grin on her face. "I'll race ya to the water!"

* * *

"I gotta admit," Ally started, swallowing her bite of food, "This was definitely a cute date."

"Better than that other guy?" Carlos asked, hope in his eyes, as he took a swig of his water.

Ally laughed softly at him, "Did I say that?"

After swimming and goofing off in the ocean, Carlos ran off leaving Ally deserted on the beach. When he came back, he scattered out a beach blanket and set a picnic up for the two of them. It was by far the cutest thing anyone had ever done for her but still, Logan had taken her to fucking Coldplay.

He laughed at her answer, "Well what did he do?"

"Honestly?" Ally smirked at him, her eyebrows rising up. Carlos nodded his head at her as if telling her to go on. "Coldplay tickets."

Carlos blankly stared at her for a really long time and suddenly Ally felt uncomfortable. "Seriously?" His face was still blank and he looked upset. Ally wasn't sure what to say or do so she just sat there, trying to figure out what to say. "How the fuck am I supposed to compete with Coldplay tickets?!" Carlos started laughing and Ally timidly smiled, still unsure. "Just put me out of my misery now," Carlos groaned, tossing his water on the blanket and throwing himself down so that he was lying on his back.

Ally finally realized he was actually upset but thought he was being really cool for how he was acting. He was trying to make a joke out of it so that he would feel a little better and Ally grinned. She put her sandwich in the basket and crawled over to straddle Carlos' waist.

He let out a grunt as she settled her weight down on his lower stomach, his groin pushing up to her ass. Carlos' let his hands wander up her thighs and settling on her hips, gently gripping them as he looked up at Ally's eyes.

She smiled down at him, placing her hands on his chest and playing with the straps of his tank top. "Hi," she grinned.

"Hi," he returned her grin and moved his thumbs back and forth on her exposed skin, right above her bikini bottoms.

"You actually made an effort to make this date perfect. He just took me to dinner and let Coldplay do the rest. I actually think I'm enjoying this beach day more than the concert." Her eyes told Carlos the truth as well as her small smile that spread across her lips. He let out a deep breath and without another sound from either one, he ran one hand up her side and behind her neck, pulling her down so that his lips could meet hers.

They stayed like that for a few minutes, soaking in one another and slowly bringing them to a burning fire inside. Ally was still straddling Carlos, but she had laid completely on top of him. Their chests and groins pressed flush against one another. Ally was trying so hard to hold her moan in as she felt his tongue force in to her mouth. She almost thought she made it until Carlos' hand that was still on her hip travelled to her behind and firmly gave it a squeeze and pulled her down harder on to his lower half. Ally let out her deep moan and moved her lips down his chin and attaching to his neck.

She found his sweet spot right above his collar bone and she nipped, sucked, and licked it a few times and earned herself a tiny moan from him. Her lips made their way up to his ear and she tried so hard not to smile as he tried to wiggle away from her hot breath that was sending chills down his spine even though they were in the blazing sun. "You're too much right now."

Ally pulled up from him and laughed loudly. Carlos brought his knees up so that she could lean her back against them. Her hands were on his chest again, just slowly moving around, while his hands managed to stay on her hips. "I don't _feel_ you complaining." She made a point to shift around on him and he groaned.

"I think it's time to pack up the picnic and head up to the house," Carlos eagerly sat up, quickly pecking Ally's lips before gently pushing her off of him.

* * *

They lasted three rounds of exciting, fast paced, indulging sex before letting out deep breaths and just lying in bed together. Ally was curled up under Carlos' arm and tracing the outline of his tattoo. They had been silent for a few minutes but it wasn't awkward. It was actually kind of peaceful to the both of them.

"When did you get this?" Ally asked softly, her voice a tad weak from screaming just minutes ago. Her finger slowly moved around the leaf shape.

"A few months ago," Carlos moved his own fingers up and down her bicep, just enjoying the feel of her soft skin.

"Did it hurt?" She glanced up at him to see his expression. He only shook his head.

"It wasn't too bad. Nothing I couldn't handle." Ally pressed her lips on the closest skin possible, which was his side right under his armpit, almost his chest. She heard him sigh and she smiled at his contentment.

"What does it all mean?" She stared down at it, looking at the circles and the other shapes. She let her finger trace around the inside, listening to him.

"Well," he started, his voice softening. "It really means a lot of stuff. It's a tribal tattoo. It represents love, family, determination, persistence, earth, wind and fire, good fortune, good health, peace…the list goes on." She felt him chuckle and she smiled up at him.

"I really like it," she laid her head back down and traced to the very bottom corner of his tattoo, which ended at the start of his 'v' on his hips. She let her finger softly move on the line and then back up to his chest, letting her hand rest there.

"Thank you," he chuckled again, his chest bouncing up and down and causing her to move with it. He felt her smile on his side and glanced down at her. She was just staring at his chest where her hand touched and smiling. He slowly felt his lips form a smile and he couldn't stop it. He hadn't felt like this in a long time and there was so much that he wanted to tell Ally in that moment but he couldn't. He wasn't sure how she felt about him since she was still seeing some other random guy, yet here she was in his arms. His mind wondered at the thought of what she was doing to both of them, if she had done this with him on their last date, if he knew about her dating some other guy, if he asked her about her life. Carlos' mind trailed back to their 20 questions came and what he said about her parents. "I didn't mean to upset you in the car on the way over here." He was still staring down at her and he almost had to look away when her eyes travelled up to his. They were so piercing and intense and almost had Carlos gasping for air.

She gave him a hint of a shrug, "It's not a big deal."

Ally turned on to her stomach and rested her chin up close to his face, her arm working as a pillow. She felt his hand move with her body and his fingers splayed across her naked back, slowly moving up and down.

"Tell me about them." His eyes were pleading, but he kept his tone normal, hoping she would confide in him because on the inside, he was dying for her to tell him everything. Carlos wanted to know everything about the woman in front of him.

Ally started to open her mouth, but quickly closed it. She turned her head away from him and looked across the room, eyeing the beach from the balcony doors. "They're just my parents."

She had known this man for such a short time but knew she wanted to tell him everything. That scared the shit out of her and she couldn't do it. She forced herself to tell her mind that this guy she was on top of was a typical player. He was a guy that flirted his way around L.A. He was smooth with his moves and knew it. Ally was scared that as soon as she opened herself up to him, he would leave and damage her for good and she didn't want that. She wanted to enjoy this moment, right here and now.

Carlos finally realized she had a wall up. He hadn't noticed it before because he had been distracted at how fun and carefree she was but when conversation got deep, she found a new brick to place on her wall. He wanted to break it down with a bulldozer and just sweep her off her feet. He thought he had been doing a pretty good job of that, minus the douchey Coldplay tickets, but he put thought in to everything because he knew she was different and he was slowly going back to the old Carlos that he was before. The Carlos no one had seen in a couple of years.

"Ally," He whispered and she turned her head back to look at him. They stared in to each other's eyes for the longest time. Ally was sure it had been hours, but it only seemed like minutes. Carlos leaned his lips down on hers and gave her a long kiss. When he pulled away, he glanced out the window.

"You wanna watch the sunset?" He asked her, his hand still moving across her back. Ally didn't say but nodded. Carlos leaned down to pick up his boxer briefs and pulled them on as Ally wrapped the bed sheet around her body. She made it to the door first and slid it open, walking over to the railing and leaning her hands against it. She felt Carlos wrap his arms around her waist, leaning against her. He kissed her temple and together they watched the blue ocean waves crash on the shoreline. The sun started it's decent and Ally leaned her head back in to the crook of Carlos' neck, deciding that this was better than Coldplay any day.

* * *

"Melissa, I need you to make sure that you get to the bank before it closes today. And remember to do a quick inventory check on the shoes again because I completely forgot to count the boots that were just delivered." Ally huffed her way through the hotel conference ballroom in Atlanta. She had barely been there for an hour and was already stressed out. Her plane at LAX was delayed and she was so sure she would have been late and knew that wouldn't be acceptable. She knew this Fashion Conference was a big deal and she needed to get Moore Clothes' name out to a bigger audience and this was the place to do it. Ally had brought along a portfolio full of what her store offered and was ready to take some notes on how to expand and get a higher sale rate going.

"Ally, relax! It's under control. Now hang up the phone and focus on your store. Seriously, I'm fine over here." Melissa hung up the phone before Ally could object. She knew she was right though. She needed to put all her focus on this conference. But it was difficult when every 5 minutes, a Latino boy was sending text messages that made any girl wish she was in L.A. under the sheets with this guy. Ally ignored his last one and shut off her phone, ready to take Moore Clothes to the next level.

* * *

Ally had made it through the two day conference and was ready to get back home to start on new projects for her store. She had packed everything for her departure in the morning and was now taking advantage of the Jacuzzi bath tub. Her phone was beside her head, softly playing some smooth jazz music. The bubbles felt so good against Ally's body and she was scooted down until the water reached the nape of her neck.

Suddenly, her music stopped playing and she looked up to realize she was getting a call. She smirked when she saw it was Carlos. She could've sworn her heart skipped a tiny beat. "This is Ally," she said lowly, still deep in the water. She closed her eyes at the sound of his voice and grinned.

"This is Carlos," he responded, chuckling softly. "Did I wake you? I forgot about the time change."

"It's only ten here. I'm still awake." She smiled again. It was such a habit with him.

"What in the world are you doing up, you party animal?" Carlos questioned, surprise in his tone, but Ally knew he was joking and laughed.

"I'm taking a bubble bath," He got quiet and Ally giggled. "I know that would get you."

"Can I hang up and call you again with FaceTime?" He asked quickly with no hesitation and Ally laughed again. Without answering his question, she hung up the phone herself and dialed him on FaceTime. "Hey, pretty lady," he greeted her when she came in to view. "You weren't kidding!"

Ally laughed at him, "No, why would I lie about taking a bath?" She made sure to keep the phone high up enough so that he wouldn't catch a glimpse of anything underneath the bubbles. Then she remembered that the bubbles were actually doing a pretty good job at hiding herself and she lowered it down.

"I have no idea, but I'm really glad you weren't. You got the whole place set up, too." Ally grinned, looking around at the dimmed lighting and few candles lit and spread out. She turned the phone to give him a quick peek at the bathroom. "Hey, if I wanted to see a bathroom, I'd go look at mine."

She chuckled again and brought the phone back to her face. "I was relaxing. I've been on the go for the past two days. I wake up at 7, go sit down for hours and hours, take notes, walk around for hours and hours looking at displays, take more notes. Come back to my hotel room and crash."

"So that's why you haven't been texting me back!" Carlos exclaimed, joking with her. She was about to apologize but he stopped her. "Don't say it! I completely understand. I was just messing with you."

"I honestly haven't been checking any messages from anyone. I haven't even checked in with my store since I landed in Atlanta. Melissa told me to put all my focus on this and I pretty much did." She laughed.

"Hey, I already said I understand. You don't need to explain yourself to me. I just wanted to call and make sure you were okay and whatnot. I've been thinking about you since you left me Sunday night," he smiled at her picture on his phone and saw her blush.

"I wish I could say the same, but like I told you, I've been focused on this conference." She blankly stared at him, trying to put on a serious face, but couldn't take it. She started laughing at his frown. "I'm so sorry. That was mean. I didn't mean it." He gave her a small smile and she instantly felt bad. "Carlos, I'm seriously really sorry." She sat up, forgetting that she was in the bath tub and heard him start laughing.

"All is forgiven with that view," She looked at him funny then saw her tiny square in the corner and quickly put her hand over her breast. Carlos immediately died out laughing and Ally did too.

"Oh, my god!" She put her hand over her face when she was back under the water with the bubbles protecting her. "I feel so embarrassed."

"Why? I've seen them multiple times," Carlos laughed at her. "Don't be embarrassed."

She put her hand back down and just stared at his image on her phone. She instantly realized she missed this man too much and it was becoming a problem. She knew she had missed him last night when she woke up from having a very…sexual dream about him. Needless to say, he was in her thoughts for a while.

"What's that look for? You've got this smolder, sexy thing going on." Carlos smirked at her and realized he caught her in a day dream. She looked like a deer in headlights when she realized she had been caught. "I'm sorry, did I call you at a bad time? Were you doing some mysterious bathtub things before I called?"

Ally blushed again but didn't say anything. It was like she wanted him to know about her dreaming of him last night. Carlos shook his head, grinning at her. She returned the grin and finally said something, "So I might have actually been thinking about you a lot today."

"Oh, really? How so?" Carlos asked, leaning back on his living room couch and watching her.

"Well, I woke up last night to a very, very, _very_ exciting dream last night," She knew she wasn't going to go in to detail. She wanted to leave this guy hanging and wanting her so bad. She was going to accomplish that.

She watched him lick his lips quickly, "Dream? What happened in this dream?" Her eyes told him everything and he smirked again. "So it was one of _those_ dreams?"

"Yep, it was." She got quiet, letting that be the only thing said. "Well, this water is starting to get chilly, so I think I'm gonna head to bed." She stood up, keeping the phone at eye level and smirking at him.

"You are seriously trying to kill me, aren't you?" Carlos asked, laughing off her teasing.

Ally managed to wrap herself in a hotel robe without him getting a peak at her and she grinned, "Good night, Carlos."

"Sleep well tonight. And be careful on the plane and what not." Carlos sighed, watching her slip in to bed with the robe still on. She smiled at him, "I'll see you later, Ally."

* * *

On Thursday, Ally sat in her tiny office in the back of Moore Clothes while Melissa ran the front. She had been trying to come up with a way to boost everything in the store from all the things she learned over the conference days.

Melissa leaned her head in through the door, "Hey, so, there's this guy here with flowers for you."

"What?" Ally asked, completely confused. She followed Melissa to the front and laughed when she saw Logan holding a big bouquet of daisies. "What is all this, Logan?"

"Well, I figured I would press my luck and come by to see you." Ally stepped in front of the counter and gave Logan a big hug that he did not refuse. "I'm glad you made it back safe and sound." He handed her the flowers when their embrace was over.

"I got home yesterday and just fell right asleep. These are so pretty! Thank you!" Ally smelled the daisies and looked up at him, grinning. She didn't realize how much she actually missed his smile until just now. She hadn't seen him in six days and only talked to him for a few minutes Monday during her lunch break. "I missed you," she said honestly.

He broke out in to a big smile then, "I missed you, too." Melissa coughed. She was leaning on the counter with her elbows completely interested in what was going on.

"Oh! I'm so sorry, Logan this is Melissa. She runs the store when I can't and is pretty much my best friend, I guess. Melissa, this is Logan. My double date with Sarah?" Ally made a point to make sure Melissa knew Carlos from Logan and Logan from Carlos, just in case she slipped up and let it out that she was dating two people at once.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Logan! I've heard so much about you." Melissa shook his hand, smiling politely. When he turned back to Ally, he grinned then glanced around the store.

Melissa gave Ally a 'He's smoking!' look. "This place is great, Allyson. This is really awesome."

Ally laughed, "Welcome to my baby." He laughed along with her.

"So, I was wondering if you wanted to go dancing with me tonight." Logan blurted, receiving big eyes from Ally.

"Dancing? Oh, Logan, I pretty much have two left feet—"

"No, no, no, just ballroom dancing. There's a class going on a few blocks from my place and it looked fun. Come on, I promise you'll have a blast." Logan sent her a charming smile, and Ally of course accepted. "Great! I'll pick you up at 7!" Before saying goodbye, Ally showed him around the store and when he was about to leave, he leaned down and gave her a peck on the lips.

"You didn't say he was drop dead gorgeous!" Melissa exclaimed. "And he called you Allyson! That was really hot for me, honestly."

"Melissa!"

* * *

"One, two, three, and four. One, two, three, and four. There ya' go! You got it!" Logan watched their feet as they flowed across the room with a few other couples. "This isn't too bad, right?"

Ally looked up at him with fear, "Logan, I'm terrible!" She tripped over her own feet and earned a laughed out of him. "See?"

"Hey, you're doing great. You're doing better than you did an hour ago," he winked at her and she couldn't help but chuckle. "Let's try this: just look at me. Don't think about your feet, or anything else. Just watch my face and let's see what happens."

Ally did just as he said and she slowly grinned as she looked in to his eyes as he twirled them around the room. This went on flawlessly for a few minutes when she realized what had happened. "Oh, my god. It worked! You're a miracle worker!"

He laughed at her, "No, I'm just a dancer that knows what's going on."

"All right, everyone! That was all beautiful work tonight! Let's meet again on Sunday! Class dismissed."

Logan and Ally walked over to where they had set their water and other stuff. "So, do you want to come over to my place? We can watch a movie or something. I can cook you something if you're hungry."

Ally eagerly nodded, "Sure! That sounds good."

* * *

"This is the most intense game of Mario Kart that I have ever played!" Logan shouted, moving his Wii remote around, trying to get his car back on track.

"I play this all the time with my brother." Ally giggled, moving her body to turn with the car. "Yes! First place!"

Logan groaned, tossing his remote on his coffee table and throwing himself in to his couch. "You are such a beast at this. I don't understand."

Ally laughed at him, placing her remote beside his and leaning back. "It's just a Mario gift, I guess."

He stared at her for a minute, opened his mouth like he was going to say something then stopped. "What is it?" She asked him, slowly smirking.

He shook his head, "Your eyes just…they literally sparkled a second ago." Ally laughed at him, "I'm serious!" He smiled at her. "You look really pretty tonight."

"Well, thank you." She said softly, knowing what was about to happen. He leaned in slowly, cupping her cheek in his hand and bringing their lips together.

An hour later, they were in his bedroom, naked under the sheets. Ally had never expected to let herself do this. She felt like she was stringing along two men and in reality that's what she was doing, but she wouldn't let herself believe that. At first, it was okay, but after sleeping with Logan, she felt dirty. Her thoughts were interrupted, "You okay?"

"Yeah," she smiled up at him, "I'm fine." She felt his hand caress her back and it only made her think of Carlos when they were in Malibu.

"So, the band I'm in is having this CD coming out soon party tomorrow night and I was hoping you'd want to be my date and everything?" He asked her, still moving his hand up and down her back.

Ally looked up at him with a smile, "Sure, I'd love to." She knew she was going to have to end her relationship with Carlos or Logan soon. She just wasn't sure who yet.

* * *

"I think we might be the last ones getting here." Logan chuckled, holding on to Ally's hand as they entered Roque Records, his label's recording studio.

"Well, if you hadn't made such a fuss over a tie—" Ally started laughing. Logan literally struggled over 3 ties for 20 minutes. "But I understand. I mean, I run a boutique."

"You're hilarious, you know that?" He laughed at her, stopping before they got any further. "All right, so my buddies can get a little crazy, so just be prepared. And my boss is just down right insane. I'm warning you now. You ready?"

"I guess so." She laughed and Logan led the way. He stopped at one tall boy first, "James, hey dude!" They shared a bro hug before Logan went on to Ally. "This is Allyson, Allyson this is James. He's in the band with me."

James shook Ally's hand, "It's nice to finally put a face with a name." He laughed when Ally started laughing.

"Moving on," Logan chuckled, ushering Ally away to another tall boy. "Kendall!" For some reason, Ally began to notice that bro hugs were usually things in this band. "Man, this is Allyson. Allyson, this is Kendall."

Kendall grabbed Ally's hand, shaking it. "It's good to meet you. This one hasn't stopped talking about you for the past couple of weeks." Logan scoffed at him. "Dude, you haven't! _Allyson this Allyson that_." Kendall mocked Logan's way of speaking and earned a smack on his shoulder. "Dude!"

"I don't talk like that!" Logan hissed. Ally couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

"It's nice meeting you, too, Kendall." Ally said, smiling at them both.

"All right, last one to go. Have you seen Los around?" Logan asked, Kendall.

"Yeah, I think he was by the buffet a second ago."

"Thanks, man." Logan nodded, turning to Ally. "One more!" He laughed, taking her hand and led her through the crowd of dancing people. "Carlos, hey man!" Ally heard the name and stopped breathing. It couldn't be him. There was no way.

"Logan! Where's your date, dude? I thought you were bringing that Allyson girl." She knew that voice. She made that voice scream in Malibu. She dreamed of that voice just a few days ago.

"Oh, yeah," Logan realized he wasn't holding Ally's hand anymore and turned around, "Allyson, this is Carlos. Carlos, this is Allyson."

She looked up and sure enough, it was her Carlos. The Carlos that spilled his coffee on her when they first met, the Carlos that made her a picnic in Malibu, the Carlos that she was so ready to open up to. Ally felt like she was going to pass out any second, but she knew she had to remain calm.

Carlos couldn't speak. He felt sick. He could tell she felt that way too. It was all over her face but somehow Logan stayed oblivious to it. Carlos didn't know what to do, so he just stuck out his hand for Ally to take. "Hi, Allyson. I'm, uh, I'm Carlos."

**Shit just got real. Review please! If ya' want. I mean. I'm still gonna finish this no matter what.**


	4. Chapter 4

"This can't be happening, this _can't_ be happening," Ally paced back and forth in the women's restroom, mumbling to herself. She paused and looked up at the mirror, "This is seriously happening right now. Oh, my god."

She was beyond confused. "Shit," she cursed herself for not putting everything together. The fact that they were both in a band, the fact that 'Los' called Logan while they were on their date, the whole entire thing. Ally felt like such an idiot and then subsided her thoughts with even more repulsive thoughts.

_They knew each other_.

What was she going to do? Obviously Logan had no idea, but then again how could he? Ally never told him she was dating someone else and never corrected him when he called her Allyson. Carlos never knew her full name was Allyson and definitely didn't know the name of this other guy she was dating.

But now, as they both thought back to everything, it clicked.

Ally splashed some water on her face before walking out of the bathroom in search for, well, she wasn't sure. She didn't know what to do. She wasn't expecting to see Carlos waiting for her outside the bathroom door either.

"Carlos-"she started but he grabbed her arm and pulled her in to a vacant room. Carlos turned the lights on and Ally realized they were in an actual recording studio.

"Are you enjoying your evening, _Allyson_?" Carlos questioned, leaning on a table that had so many electrical things on them. Ally was scared something was going to get broken. She sighed when she heard him say _Allyson_ with so much disgust. His face showed so many different emotions and right now it was definitely pissed. Ally was overcome with so much that she didn't say anything; she only looked at her feet. "Are you not going to say anything? Because I have so much to say but I'm trying to give you the benefit of the doubt right now."

Ally shook her head, she felt tears forming but she didn't let them go. "I didn't know. I swear, Carlos, I didn't know."

She watched his face soften, "Does he have any idea?" Ally shook her head again.

Carlos couldn't tell in the beginning if she was lying or not, but when he watched her eyes get full of tears, he just knew that she was telling the truth. He'd never been stuck in this kind of situation before. He had no idea what to say or do.

"I feel like such an idiot for not putting the pieces together. You're both in bands, you fucking called him on one of our dates," Ally let out a laugh and cry at the same time as she looked up at the ceiling, trying so hard not to just breakdown.

It was quiet for a minute, both of them not sure what to say. Carlos spoke up, "He told me he was dating an 'Allyson' and that he was taking her to see Coldplay. I just didn't put it together when you told me. You never told me his name and I never asked. But please, just try to explain this all to me."

And Ally did. She started from the double date, to her not explaining her name to Logan, the opportunity to date two guys at once, the sleeping with Logan and then feeling completely guilty afterwards, and how she ended up in this recording studio with Carlos.

"So Logan really has no idea?" He asked again.

"Not that I know of. I just don't know what to do, Carlos." Ally looked up at him as he crossed his arms. They were 3 feet apart, not even close enough to touch.

Carlos scoffed, looking at Ally then looking away, "You have to make a choice, Ally. Logan's my friend and now that I know he's the other guy, I can't keep doing this with you. I really, really like you, Ally. But I can't do this to one of my best friends."

Ally sniffed, trying so hard to not cry. "I understand."

Carlos walked over to her and pulled her in to his arms. "Don't cry. It's okay. I just don't want me to be the reason he gets his heart broken all right? God, if these were different circumstances, I would be your 'other man' any day, but he's my best friend."

"I know, I know. I'm so sorry," Ally finally let a few tears fall, but she kept herself reserved. "So this is it?" She pulled back from his embrace and looked up at him. She thought his eyes looked watery but she couldn't really tell from the bright lights in the studio.

He nodded at her, "This is it. We've been in here way too long. So, I'm gonna let you walk out of here first, and I'll wait a few minutes before it's my turn."

Ally looked up at him, "Okay," she whispered. Before she completely let go of him, she leaned her lips up to his and gave him a chaste kiss, lingering for a few extra seconds, and then quickly pulling away and walking straight out the door of the studio.

Carlos watched her leave, wishing he could just call her back in and say, "Fuck it!" He was falling in love with this girl but now he couldn't have the chance to actually fall in love with her. He knew this was for the best though. Logan was his best friend. But what if Ally was the girl for Carlos? He thought about this and realized he might have just ruined his only chance at finding true love.

* * *

"Hey, there you are," Logan smiled at Ally as he found her leaving the bathroom again. She had to make sure her make-up was still in place. "Are you all right? You look like you've been crying."

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. My contacts were acting up, so I had to mess around with them for a second. I'm good." Ally found it so easy to lie.

"Well, that's good. Come on, I want to introduce you to Gustavo and Kelly. They're really—" Carlos took this moment to exit the recording studio. He looked at Ally and Logan and instantly felt worse than he already did. "Hey, man, what cha doing in there?" Logan laughed.

"I was just making a phone call. It's too loud in there," Carlos smiled, patting Logan on the back before walking past them and right back in to where the party was.

Logan watched him for a second before turning back to Ally, "Sorry about him. He's usually really chipper."

Ally shrugged and tried to smile at Logan, "Seems like a cool guy to me. So who are Gustavo and Kelly?"

An hour later, Logan had finally introduced Ally to just about everyone at the party. She was 3 glasses of wine in, and ready to go home and sleep. Logan had her dancing with him every other song and her feet were incredibly sore, but she put on a front the entire time. She had been watching Carlos down tequila shot after tequila shot with their bandmate Kendall. He was beyond wasted now.

"Logie! Dude, party at my house tomorrow night. We're all gonna get shit faced alright?" Carlos grinned, wrapping an arm over Logan and James' shoulders. "Oh! Allyson, you are invited too. We need all the pretty ladies there."

Once he was done inviting people, Logan finally decided that it was time to take Ally home. "Thank you for a super fun night, Logie." Ally drunkenly leaned against her door as Logan pushed against her. He nipped at her lips and Ally, in a drunken horny stur, reciprocated the actions. For a good 10 minutes, the two were all over each other, kissing, nipping, and licking every inch of skin that was showing.

Ally suddenly washed over with nauseous and Logan tried to help her inside, but she refused. She never, _ever_, let a man in to her apartment. Not even her brother. It was an unspoken rule. It was her space. She didn't want any man to ruin it for her with sex or any sign of romance.

"I'll be okay. I just need to go get some sleep," She pecked her lips against Logan's.

He stared at her, rubbing her hips with her hands, "Okay, let me know when you get to feeling better. I'll pick you up around 8 for Carlos' party tomorrow night."

_Shit. Damn party._

* * *

Carlos had been busy all day trying to get his house ready for his random party. Honestly, when he decided to have this shindig, he was completely wasted and watching Ally all night with Logan. He knew he wasn't going to forget her.

He watched Logan place a hand on her lower back and whispered something in her ear. She laughed at whatever he said and Carlos sighed, wishing he was in Logan's place. He barely slept the night before. His thoughts kept coming back to Ally and their whole situation. So the girl he was falling for was coincidentally dating his best friend and bandmate?

They didn't make movies like this on Lifetime so he wasn't exactly clear on what to do. He couldn't ask Kendall or James for help because in reality, they were complete idiots and would totally tell Logan. He just needed to talk to Ally again. He knows that he told her to stay with Logan, but there was no way he was going to let that happen. Logan would eat her up and then spit her out within a month and he was _not_going to watch it.

* * *

Ally watched Logan take his 5th, yes 5th, shot of Patron and tried so hard to not roll her eyes. Since they moment they stepped in to Carlos' familiar home, Logan started guzzling any form of alcohol like it was water.

She was about to say something to Logan, but refrained. She wasn't his mother and he was definitely not a child. He'd regret drinking this much in the morning. So Ally sipped her bottled beer as Logan played his drinking games with his buddies.

After a few more hours of beer pong, Ally was a bit on the drunk side, but more of tipsy. Her 3rd beer had finished the job of getting her buzzed. The party had died down and they were the only ones left, besides a few others drunkenly playing on Carlos' XBOX. It was nearing 2 am and Logan had been passed out for a good 15 minutes. Ally didn't know if she should wake him or not. He was laying on the dining room table, his hand still wrapped around a Red Solo Cup.

Ally was about to wake him when she felt a hand on her shoulder, "Don't. He's fine. I'm gonna take him to the guest room." Carlos moved past Ally and she silently watched him lift Logan up and carry him to the vacant room. Ally followed him up the stairs and stayed in the hallway while Carlos helped Logan out.

"Thanks, man." She heard Logan gruff out and Carlos pat his back. "Keep an eye on Allyson for me."

"Sure, man." Carlos quietly shut the door behind him and was surprised to see Ally leaning on the wall. "Can we talk, please?" He watched her nod and led her to his bedroom. She was hesitant to walk through his bedroom doors, but pushed it out of her mind. His bed looked so inviting with its fluffy comforter and huge pillows. Still tipsy, Ally found herself lying across the sheets and sighing.

"I love this bed."

Carlos chuckled, plopping down beside her, placing a hand on the back of her knee, since she was on her stomach. It was a quick movement and he took his hand off as soon as it happened. "I want to talk to you."

Ally rolled her head to look at him. She smiled, "Obviously, or else you wouldn't have asked me to talk."

"Ally," Carlos whispered, feeling the air in the room suddenly become thicker. "Stop seeing him."

Ally stared up at him from her position. She melted in his piercing brown eyes and saw everything she needed to see in them: love, trust, protection, honesty, her world. They were all in his eyes. "Okay," she whispered, feeling tears behind her eyes. "I'll stop seeing him."

Carlos let out a deep sigh and moved himself to be beside her. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her as close as possible to him. She felt his lips on her forehead and felt so much comfort in his arms.

It was what she needed.

**Not my best, but I still like it =] Reviews are beautiful ;) xoxo, J**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm so sorry you guys for not updating! I'm going to try to update at least once a week now! COLLEGE SUCKS.**

Ally awoke the next morning to her phone buzzing on Carlos' bedside table. She groaned, feeling uncomfortable in her jeans, but yet enjoying Carlos' arm draped across her waist. Ally read the alarm clock to say 6:54 and wondered who was calling her so early. Trying not to move too much to wake Carlos, she reached as best as she could to grab her phone.

_**Mom Calling**_ blinked across the screen and Ally felt a rush of worry run through her veins. "Mom? What's wrong?" She croaked out, her voice straining against the morning.

"Allyson, honey, you've got to get down here quick. Michael's been in an accident!" She could hear the tears in her mother's voice and jumped up quick, waking up Carlos in the process with a jolt.

"Oh, my god, is he okay?" Ally felt her heart beating faster, like it was about to jump out of her chest.

"What is it?" Carlos gruffed out, rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

"He was in the car…it was a drunk driver…oh, Ally, please just get here as soon as you can." Her mom pleaded.

"I'm on my way, mom. Just…" She wanted to tell her mom to tell Michael she loved him, but stopped, not wanting to admit that she was about to say goodbye. "I'll be there soon. It'll be okay. I love you, guys, all right?" Ally stood up from the bed, hearing her mother sob before hanging up.

"What's wrong?" Carlos asked, his eyes full of worry and panic.

Ally slipped on her flats from the night before, "My brother was in a car accident. I have to go." Carlos jumped out of the bed, coming to Ally's side. "Carlos," she whispered, almost breaking down in front of him.

Without question, Carlos pulled Ally into a comforting hug, caressing her back with one hand while the other cradled her head against his chest. "It's gonna be okay. He'll be fine." He softly kissed her forehead then pushed her back. "You need to go, though, Ally."

Ally nodded, trying her hardest not to let her tears fall. She had issues with crying, especially in front of people. It was something her dad taught her as a weakness. "Um, Logan—"

"I'll take care of it. Don't worry. Just go okay. Let me know when you get there, so that I'll know you're safe." He kissed her cheek before leading her out of his house without any visitors waking up.

"Thank you, Carlos." She whispered, hugging him tightly before getting in her car and driving straight to the airport.

* * *

"Jennifer?" Ally exclaimed, rushing to Michael's girlfriend's side. "What happened?"

Jennifer was crying, still in shock. "We were coming to eat breakfast at your parents' house, but your mom needed something from the store, so he left to get it. He was waiting at a redlight and this driver came out of nowhere—"

Ally wrapped an arm around Jennifer, trying to calm her down. "Is he okay?"

"He's in ICU. He's got broken ribs, his arm got pinned against the door; it's broken and he's in surgery right now for it. He has a concussion. They said he might suffer from memory loss." Jennifer spoke slowly, still trying to let the information sink in.

"But he's going to be fine, right? He's not going to…" She trailed off, not wanting to say it. Her mom and dad decided to step out in that moment, saving her.

"Oh, Allyson!" Her mom ran over to Ally, engulfing her in a hug. "I was so scared."

"He's gonna be fine, mom. He'll be great. He's gonna pull through." Ally tried to remain strong, but in reality she wanted to break down. But knowing her dad would see her crying, she didn't want to show any weakness. "Everything's gonna be fine." She held her mom for another moment, hearing her whisper how sorry she was when they last saw each other. "It's okay, mom."

Julienne pulled away, wiping tears from her eyes and turning to find Jennifer, wanting to comfort her.

Ally eyed her father for a moment. He looked as normal as ever, but she could see the worry on his face. Still unsure of how mad he was at her, she only made brief eye contact with him. Ally was still upset with him and didn't want to cause a scene. So she sat down beside her mom and stayed quiet.

Two hours went by of them waiting in the lobby. Patrick never sat down, he only paced across the room slowly. Jennifer was resting against Julienne's shoulder, half asleep. Ally felt her phone vibrate and realized she hadn't looked at it at all. She reached in her pocket to get it and saw three messages: one from Carlos, one from Melissa, and one from Logan.

_**Carlos**_

**I hope you made it safe and everything's okay. Call me when you can.**

_**Melissa**_

**Take off all the time you need! I can run the store by myself for a while. I hope your brother's okay. Call me if you need anything.**

_**Logan**_

**Carlos told me what happened with your brother. I hope everything will be all right! I'll try calling you later. I'm sorry I was passed out last night.**

Ally had little energy to reply to all three messages, so she picked Melissa and tried to text her back quickly. She wasn't sure how long she would be gone from work and needed to let her know.

"Are you seriously texting someone right now?" Patrick scoffed, not believing his daughter's attitude in the moment.

Ally looked up, shocked at her dad's tone. "It's work. I'm letting them know I won't be in tomorrow."

"That is incredibly unprofessional, Allyson. If you need to make arrangements, go somewhere and call." Her dad rolled his eyes, and Ally's widened. She glanced over at her mom, who was now sleeping quietly against Jennifer's head. "You know, I bet you're texting that musician boy anyway. You letting him know you won't be there for booty call tonight?"

Ally's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe her dad's words. "I can't believe you right now. You are unfathomable. How can you be so judgmental right now? You do realize you almost lost your son today, don't you? You would have been childless if he died. I hardly consider you a father to me anymore. You're not worth the fight right now. Michael almost died today!" Ally stood up, almost to the point of shouting. "He could have died. And you're standing here like a prick calling me whore! What the hell is your problem?" She stared at her dad, fumes blowing crazy. Julienne and Jennifer were now awake, wondering what had happened. Ally slowly backed away from Patrick, keeping her tears back, not showing any sign of weakness. She had to keep strong, even though she was breaking in side. He only clenched his jaw, breaking eye contact first and looking away. "You're pathetic." Ally whispered, but loud enough for him to hear, before turning to walk briskly through the halls of the hospital. Finding a stairwell and walking up until she reached the top.

She slid down the wall, trying her hardest not to let any tears escape. She took deep breaths, calming herself down. She counted to 100, still unsure of her feelings at the moment. She stayed in the stair well for almost an hour, just sitting there. No thoughts echoing through her mind. Her phone vibrated and she glanced down to see a text from Jennifer.

_**Jennifer**_

**He's out of surgery and awake! Where are you?**

Ally stood up quickly and raced back down to the floor where Michael was. She found her mother at the desk, waiting for her and they quickly walked down a hallway. "Honey, about your dad-"

"I'm not talking about him. Just focus on Michael, okay?" Ally didn't wait for a response; she only walked right into her brother's room and straight to give him a gentle hug. "Big brother, I swear to God, if you ever scare me like this again, I will go insane."

"Ally," He croaked out, still dosed up on painkillers. "I'm fine. I'm fine. Just a few bumps and bruises. Good as new in a few days." Jennifer and Ally shared a chuckle with him. They talked with him for a few more minutes before a nurse came in and said he needed to rest. "I love you, okay? Don't forget that."

"Love you, too, baby sis." Ally smiled, walking away to let Jennifer tell him goodbye.

Ally just walked out of the room, unsure of where to go when she felt a hand on her arm pull her back. "Dad, let go."

"Just let me apologize." He said, but it almost sounded like a plea. "Allyson, I'm sorry for the comment earlier. I was out of line." Ally couldn't believe her ears. Her dad was actually apologizing for real to her. It was half-assed, but an apology nonetheless.

"That's all you have to say to me?" She jerked her arm out of her dad's reach. "You've called me a whore twice in a month. You're the most unsupportive parent on this planet, and you think this half-assed apology is going to make me forgive you? You're insane." She laughed, starting to walk away but bumping into her mother by Michael's door again. She realized that they all heard their conversation. She looked in at Michael and saw him looking hopeless.

"Allyson," her mom whispered, but Ally stopped her. She felt embarrassed beyond anything else in this moment. They all stayed quiet for a good minute before her mom spoke again. "Will you be coming back to the house tonight?" Ally looked down, shaking her head no. "You are going to be staying for a while aren't you?"

"Yeah, mom, but not tonight. I can't be down here right now." She looked up at Michael, almost breaking down but remaining strong. She walked into his room and to his side. "I'm so sorry, Michael. I'm just gonna go back home tonight, pack some clothes. I'll be back tomorrow."

"It's okay. I understand. I'm fine, really." Ally nodded, leaning down to kiss his forehead before smiling at Jennifer.

"If you need anything, just let me know. I'll see you both tomorrow." Ally hugged Jennifer before walking out the door and right past her mom and dad, not telling them anything.

* * *

While Ally waited for a flight, she felt a buzzing in her pocket from her phone. Logan was calling her and she realized she still hadn't talked to anyone today. "Hey," she said, knowing her voice must've sounded rough.

"Hey, I hope I'm not disturbing you am I? Are you doing okay? How's your brother?" Logan asked, sounding completely worried.

"No, no, I'm not doing anything. Just waiting…" which was true. "I'm fine," she lied. "My brother's gonna be okay. He, uh, had a lot of damage done, but he was up and talking a while ago. He had to have surgery on his arm. He's resting now."

"Oh, good. I'm glad he's okay." She heard him sigh. "Listen, about last night, I'm really sorry I got so wasted."

"Logan, it's fine. Don't worry about it." She sighed, leaning her head back against the wall behind her seat.

"I just needed a breather last night and-"

"Logan? Don't worry."

"All right, all right." He chuckled. "How long are you going to be gone? I don't even know where you are."

"I'm in San Clemente. I'm going to try to be here for as long as I can. Maybe a few weeks."

"Oh, wow! A few weeks?"

"I just don't want anything to go wrong with my brother." It was quiet on both lines. Ally realized this was her chance to cut Logan free. "Logan, I don't think seeing each other is going to work out with all of this going on."

"I was scared you were about to say that." He said quietly. "I understand though. Maybe it's just for the best."

"Yeah," She sighed, hearing her flight being called and seeing the face of a certain boy pop into her mind. "I'm really sorry, Logan. You're such a great guy and—"

"Allyson, it's okay. Just let me know when you get back into town. Maybe we can pick up where we left off."

"Maybe," she lied to him again, knowing there was only one boy on her mind. "I have to go though, Logan. I'll see you around."

* * *

Carlos opened his door surprised. He wasn't expecting any visitors that evening at all. Especially so late at night. "Ally?" He quickly pulled her inside, sensing something was wrong. "What are you doing here? Is your brother okay? Are _you_ okay?"

Ally looked at him. Just one look and she broke down. Tears and sobs escaped her and she covered her face, feeling Carlos pull her into his arms and lead her to his couch. "Ally, it's okay." He sat down, pulling her on him in his lap and cradled her like a child, letting her cry on his neck while he stroked her back. "Shh," he comforted her in the best way. He didn't ask questions, only tried to calm her with soothing words. "It's okay, baby, it'll be okay. I'm right here. You're fine."

She sobbed for what seemed like hours, but was only twenty minutes. When she began to calm down, she stayed in her position on Carlos, never wanting to leave his arms. He kept one hand on her back, holding her against him, while the other rested on her thigh, rubbing up and down to comfort her. Ally kept her hands wrapped around his neck.

"You wanna talk about it all? Is your brother okay?" Carlos asked quietly.

"He's gonna be fine," she whispered, her lip quivering at the thought of what was really bothering her. She felt weak. After years of her father demanding her to never show weakness, she finally did. And she felt it. More tears streamed down her face and Carlos calmed her down again.

"Hey," he said softly and sweetly. "Tell me what's wrong. You can trust me, Ally."

"I know," she whispered. "It was just my dad today." And for the first time, Ally finally let her walls down in front of a man. She left nothing out, telling Carlos everything about her family and the past encounters with her dad hating on her store and her choices in men.


	6. Chapter 6

**I know, I know, I suck at updating. BUT I'M BACK. And I'm going to finish this! Have faith in me!**

Carlos lay beside Ally, gently trailing his fingertips up and down her back slowly, tracing the fabric of an old shirt of his. His thoughts replayed the night before and his heart began to break for the beautiful girl in his arms.

Ally had shared with him details about her dad. She told him how her father taught her to never be weak. It made Carlos wonder what kind of man believed that crying was a weakness. His heart really shattered when Ally told him about how her father felt about her clothing store, and how he wanted her to hurry and get married so she could have some real money.

Carlos had been raised in a home where no one was harsh; it was all about loving each other and growing as a family. To hear that this girl's childhood was so overbearing really made Carlos' heart break.

He watched Ally take a deep breath before her eyelids fluttered. She sensed someone watching her and blinked her eyes open. Carlos softly smiled at her, "Hey."

Ally smiled back at him, "Hey." On impulse, she snuggled deeper into his chest, burying her head under his neck and holding on to him tightly. She let her thoughts over take her mind and instantly felt embarrassed. She had told him so much last night; things that she had never told anyone, literally _anyone_. "I'm sorry."

She felt him move his head to look at her face, but she only buried it deeper on his neck, hiding from him. "Sorry? For what?"

"Last night," she whispered, feeling incredibly insecure. "For showing up like I did without calling, for putting all of my daddy issues on you, for not—"

"Stop, Ally," Carlos put his hand under her chin and pushed it up so that Ally would open her eyes and look at him. It took a second, but once she opened her eyes, Carlos was entranced the beautiful brown eyes facing him. He leaned in and gave her a small kiss, not even thinking. "Don't apologize. I'm so happy that you came here. It means a lot for you to tell me all those things. Don't ever think that I'd never want to hear any of your issues, daddy or not."

Ally's eyes teared up and she sniffed, "Thank you." Her voice was quiet but Carlos still heard her loud and clear. She realized that she probably needed to go back to her apartment and pack her things before her mom called her about coming back down. Ally sat up a bit, looking for Carlos' alarm clock. It blinked 8 am. "Wow, it's kinda late."

"I didn't know if I needed to wake you up or not. You were up late last night and I figured you were really tired, so…I just let you sleep." Carlos explained. "When are you going back to see your brother?"

"I need to get back today." She frowned, not really wanting to leave Carlos. "I'm probably going to be down there for a few weeks…I just need to make sure he's going to be okay. I don't want something to go wrong, or Jennifer have a breakdown, or mom feel like she has to do it all—"

"Hey," he shushed her. "You don't have to explain. Just go, Ally. Call me when you get the chance, text me when you want. I'm probably going to do the same because honestly, I'm too far gone with you." His eyes bore into hers and she knew he was telling the truth.

Ally sighed, placing a hand on Carlos' cheek, holding it. "I'm too far gone too, Carlos. I really am." She leaned down, kissing his lips gently and quickly. When she pulled away, she spoke softly. "I'll let you know when I'm down there. I'm going to check in to a hotel though. I don't think I can handle my dad under the same roof for weeks."

"I'll come down and visit you," Carlos offered, but watched Ally tense up at the thought. "Unless you don't want me to."

She opened her mouth to say something, but stopped. "I just," she stopped again. "I don't know." Carlos frowned, feeling rejected. "It's just my dad, Carlos. And my focus is going to be on my brother. I don't want you to feel like you have to do this."

"I don't feel like I have to do this; I want to. But you obviously don't, so it's okay."

"No! Carlos, that's not it. You don't understand. My dad…" Ally trailed off, trying to find the words to say. "He's an ass. I don't want him to make you feel like I do when he says things to me. Please, just understand that."

Carlos took in her words, knowing she was trying to protect him. "Okay," he sighed. "I understand."

Ally kissed him again, telling him goodbye. "I have to go." She climbed off his bed, standing beside the edge. "I'll call you later." Carlos reached out his hand to grab onto hers and pulled her to him, engulfing her in a passionate goodbye kiss.

JIUGHTR89U34HBFN

After three days of being back home, Ally found a moment to relax in the privacy of her hotel room. She had been at the hospital with her brother since the afternoon before. Her mom had made a schedule of shifts for when someone would stay with Michael so everyone would have proper amounts of sleep. The first night Ally was back in town, she immediately checked in to her hotel, took her bags to her room, and went straight to the hospital.

Michael had to have another surgery on his arm and was still recovering from his broken ribs. He also had a concussion that would soon be gone. Needless to say, the doctor told the Moore family that Michael would be in the hospital for at least two more weeks.

Ally hadn't seen her father yet and was very okay with that. Her mother would apologize frequently for his actions, but Ally gave no sign of caring about it. She was only in San Clemente for Michael's sake.

She kicked off her tennis shoes and ripped off her sweatshirt before throwing herself onto the comfy bed. She was utterly exhausted and knew she needed sleep, but it didn't stop her from rolling onto her back and reaching around for her cell phone.

Her eyes scanned the contact list, landing on Melissa. She quickly texted her an update about her brother and told her she wouldn't be back for at least two weeks. Ally felt confident in trusting Melissa with the store and told her to do what she needed to keep it at bay until she could get back in to town.

Next on her list was to call Carlos. She needed to hear his voice. Her eyes closed as she listened to the dialing, "Hey!"

Instantly, Ally's face was bombarded by a grin. "Hey, I know it's late, but I'm just now getting in at the hotel and needed to call you."

"No, no; it's fine, Ally! You know you can call me whenever. How are you? How's your brother? If you're tired, you can just call me in the morning or whenever."

"Carlos," Ally laughed, sensing him to be nervous. "Michael's okay right now. I've been on watch duty since yesterday afternoon. He had to have another surgery on his arm because of another loose bone, and his ribs are still putting him in a lot of pain. But the doctor said he should be out in two weeks. They're just keeping him in a little longer for the pain medication. They don't want to send him out with a high addiction to the morphine and stuff."

"Well, at least he's going to be fine in a couple of weeks." She heard him let out a sigh of relief and softly smiled, feeling an unknown reassurance from Carlos' voice. "How are you though?"

"I haven't seen my dad yet, so I'm okay." She joked, a slight chuckle in her voice, but it quickly turned to a yawn and she tried to hide the sound, but it came out anyway.

"You must be exhausted, Ally. Go to sleep and call me later." Carlos offered, not wanting to keep her awake any longer if she was so tired. "I'm serious; just hearing your voice for a little tonight has helped me." Carlos laughed softly, not telling a single lie.

Ally grinned even though she knew he couldn't see her, "I miss you."

As soon as it slipped past her lips, Ally felt something. She wasn't sure what it was, but it was something she had never felt before. She didn't _miss_ people. She didn't feel the _need_ to call someone at such an hour to just hear their _voice_. Who was she becoming? What was going on in her mind? Ally had a small clue, but forced it to the back of her mind.

"I miss you, too." Carlos said quietly, smiling on the other end of the phone. "But I'm still insisting on you going to sleep, okay?" He waited for her to protest, but didn't hear it. "I don't want it to be my fault when it's your watch duty again and you just pass out."

Ally laughed at that, "Okay, Mr. Bossy-Pants. I'm going to change and go right to sleep."

"'Atta girl!" Carlos playfully exclaimed. "So, I'm going to hang up now, and I don't want to like annoy you and stuff, so just tell me when my texting becomes annoying, all right? I don't think I can go another three days without really talking to you."

Ally felt her cheeks blush, "I don't think you could ever annoy me." Carlos laughed. "I'll call you sometime tomorrow though, okay? Just keep texting me, Carlos, because I'll keep replying."

"Yes, ma'am. Goodnight, Ally. Sweet dreams," Carlos said softly, smiling to himself.

"Sweet dreams, Carlos." Ally heard herself whisper before hanging up the phone. She silently laid on her bed for a few more moments looking at the ceiling.

She was falling in love with Carlos.

"Hey, how is he doing today?" Ally walked into Michael's hospital room quietly, seeing her brother sleeping and her mom in the chair beside him.

"He's was up for a little bit this morning. He woke up when lunch came and was able to keep it down." Julienne watched her son sleep peacefully. "You missed him by 20 minutes, honey."

"Oh, that's fine." Ally sat on the love seat across the room. "I'll be here tonight, so maybe he'll wake up for a bit later." Ally watched her brother. She eyed his cast and then the gauze on his head. She frowned, thinking that he shouldn't be in this circumstance. Michael didn't deserve this; hell, no one deserved this. So why? "Why him?" She asked out loud, not even looking at her mom, but keeping a strong glare towards the monitors hooked up to her brother. "Michael's always been the best person he could be. He would never hurt anyone or anything. He didn't deserve this." No tears formed behind her eyes on habit. She couldn't let herself be weak.

"Allyson, things just happen. We have to let life live and be." Julienne frowned at her daughter's outburst, only because it was so abnormal for her.

Ally shook her head, "But this? _This _is too extreme. Life is supposed to be good to people who are good; not crush their bones. Michael's _good_."

"I know he is, but it just _happened_." Julienne countered, gathering up a strong voice to show her daughter that it was okay to mad, but that it was just life.

Ally shook her head again, feeling the tears fight to fall that had crept up to her eyes. She couldn't take seeing her brother like this. He was always to energetic and bubbly, but this image of him was ruining it. He was so lifeless; packed with morphine and bandaged up. This wasn't Michael.

Julienne felt the eerie silence for a moment, trying to decide what to say next. She knew why Ally was getting so upset now. "I know you haven't talked to your father in a few days, but we were hoping you would join us for dinner on your birthday Thursday."

Her birthday. With all the havoc of her brother and the Carlos/Logan triangle, Ally completely forgot her birthday coming up. "Mom, I'm not really focused on my birthday right now. Not with Michael here. And I can't deal with Dad right now."

"It was your father's idea."

This caught her attention, but remained unaffected. Her dad rarely came up with ideas to see her. "We'll see what happens. I'm not promising anything." Julienne nodded, understanding her answer. "I'm going to walk around for a bit. When I get back, we can swap watch duty."

Ally found herself walking a brisk pace around the hospital. She was surprised to find herself in the stairway where she had her breakdown with her father on the day of Michael's accident. With no hesitation, Ally slid down in the corner and pulled out her cell phone.

She pressed a few buttons and put the phone up to her ear, without waiting for a voice on the other end, she started talking, "Hey, I know this is short notice, but I completely forgot my birthday was on Thursday, with all this mess going on, and I just…" She paused, her voice catching in her throat. Ally coughed, "I need you here."

"You need me?" Carlos was surprised by her words and felt his heart fill with an insane amount of love for this woman on the phone. "I can't, uh, leave until tomorrow morning though; I'm at the studio right now." He could feel his band mates eyes on him, and looked everywhere except at Logan.

"Oh, gosh. You're with Logan right now, aren't you? I'm so sorry, Carlos. I can just text you—" Ally blubbered, feeling embarrassed.

"No!" He nearly shouted, turning away from the other guys as they looked at him confused. "I mean, yes, I am, but it's fine. Don't hang up. Text me the address, okay?"

"Okay," She whispered, anxious to see Carlos as soon as possible. "Just…try to get here soon. I don't know," Ally stopped, trying compose herself for her own sake, but then realized she was shoving her emotions aside when she shouldn't. "I don't know if I can do this alone anymore."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, okay?" Carlos' voice reassured her again, and almost instantly Ally felt like a thousand pounds had been lifted off her chest. "Everything's going to be all right; I promise."

Ally couldn't stop the smile from spreading across her face even though she had a few tears slipping from her eyes. "Thank you."

"You don't have to thank me." He felt his own lips break into a smile on its own. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Ally nodded even though she knew Carlos couldn't see her, "Okay. Bye, Carlos."

"Bye," he frowned when he couldn't say her name despite the sudden need to let it slip past his lips. He knew the other three guys in the room were about to hound him so he kept the phone pressed to his ear for a second longer so he could form a lie.

"Dude, what the hell was that about?" Kendall questioned, slight worry in his eyes.

"Uh, family emergency." Carlos slipped his phone in his pocket as he took his seat between Logan and James.

"Do you need to leave like now?" James asked, concerned. Carlos shook his head no, even though he wanted to bolt as soon as Ally said she needed him.

"You sure, Los? We can finish this up without you if you need to go. It sounded really important." Logan's voice showed how worried he was for Carlos' family and Carlos couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

Carlos stayed quiet for a minute before answering Logan. "No, man, it'll be okay."

"All right, dude." Logan patted Carlos' shoulder reassuringly, but it only led Carlos to feel even guiltier. For the next half hour, Carlos impatiently tapped his foot with a bundle of nerves. The four boys finally took a break.

"Logan, you never told us what happened with that Allyson girl." James noted, taking a sip of bottled water as he leaned back in his rolly chair. Carlos tensed up, knowing he was about to get incredibly uncomfortable.

"Oh yeah! I already forgot about her," Kendall's facial expression told Logan that he was sorry about losing his memory on the girl. "All you said was that you guys were taking a break, or something."

Carlos couldn't help his eyes as they moved to stare at Logan. He was trying not to smile, "Allyson was amazing. I mean, you guys met her, she's gorgeous," He broke his trance to look at the three staring at him, and smiled. "She's funny, nice, just perfect."

"So what happened?" James asked, enjoying the sound of love drifting from Logan's voice. He had never seen his buddy like this.

Logan shrugged, "I honestly have no idea. It's not like she wasn't into me or something. Her brother got in that car accident and the next thing I know she says she doesn't think she can focus on having a boyfriend while her brother's in the hospital. Is that a typical girl thing to do?" The other boys shrug, not knowing the ways on any girl's mind. "I didn't want to pressure her so I just said it was fine, maybe we could try again when she got back in to town." Logan bit his lip as he thought. "I haven't heard from her in like a week."

"That sucks, bro." Kendall frowned.

Carlos never took his eyes off of Logan as he spoke about Ally. He didn't know what he was feeling. It was like a combination of jealousy and understanding. He felt the same way about her as Logan, but somehow in this crazy, fucked up situation, she chose him. _Him_. Not Logan.

"If it doesn't work out, there are always other fish in the sea, dude." James told him, giving his best advice.

"Yeah, Logie," Carlos forced a smile as he spoke. "It'll all work out, I'm sure." Hopefully for the best.

**I personally liked writing this one for some reason. ANYWAY. Expect an update next week. And review because I love those things. 3**


	7. Chapter 7

**So sorry for the lack of updates! I'm working on a new story right now because this one is ALMOST to a close. Maybe 3 more chapters left? But a huge shout out to Carlos'sCupcake! She kind of encouraged me to hurry and update, so here it is! She also has amazing stories, so check out her writings!**

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Carlos thanked the cab driver as he tipped him, rolling his suitcase through the automatic doors and into the hotel lobby. He wasn't sure how long he would be in San Clemente, but he wanted to be prepared for anything. After checking in, he took the elevator up to his room and scoped the place out before sitting on the edge of his bed and pulling his phone out of his pocket.

It was seven in the morning, but he wanted to catch the earliest flight out of Los Angeles to be with Ally as soon as possible. Carlos dialed her number, praying that he wasn't going to wake her up.

"Hey," her voice sounded tired and raspy, so he knew instantly that he had interrupted her beauty sleep.

"Hey, I'm sorry to wake you. But I just got to my hotel and I wanted you to know." He waited for her response and heard shuffling on the other end.

"What hotel are you at?" It hadn't donned on Ally that Carlos might be in the same hotel as her.

"I'm just at the Holiday Inn." He heard her slightly gasp and quickly got the wrong idea. "I didn't know how long I was going to be here, so it was the first thing that popped up on the booking site. I didn't want to stay at the Ritz or something—"

"No, Carlos, that's not why I gasped," She lightly chuckled, rushing from the bed to the bathroom to check her appearance. "What room are you in?"

"It's 428. Why?" Carlos was beyond confused and became even more so when Ally hung up the phone. He tried dialing her back, thinking it was accidental but only got her voice. "What the hell?" He asked himself.

Ally quickly brushed her teeth and didn't bother with anything else. She looked like a hot mess with sweat pants on and an old t-shirt, but her bed head managed to make her feel slightly attractive. Not even bothering to put on shoes, she grabbed her room key and sprinted out the hotel door.

Carlos' eyebrows furrowed together when he heard a frantic knock on his door. He rushed to answer it and was greeted with the best surprise imaginable. "Ally!" He pulled her inside and engulfed her with the greatest hug she ever received.

"Hi," she muttered, smiling and wrapping her arms tightly around his neck, afraid that he would disappear if she let go. "I guess we're staying in the same hotel," she joked in his ear and felt him laugh against her.

"I guess so," He grinned even though Ally couldn't see him and held her tighter. "Happy birthday, I missed you."

"Thank you. I missed you, too." Ally sighed deeply and loosened her grip on Carlos, pulling away. She instantly regretted it because she found his eyes, big and brown and sparking right into hers. They were so full of positive emotions and Ally could sense every one of them. She let her eyes wander across his face, absent mindedly landing on his full lips. She suddenly wanted to kiss him and was scared of that because never had she felt a want like that to be so strong.

Carlos held back on pulling her in arms and kissing her passionately. It was taking so much strength for him, but he needed to do it. He wasn't here to engage in romantic acts; he was here for _her_. Carlos wanted to prove himself to Ally as being a loving and caring individual who would do anything for her. All of their other encounters typically ended with both of them under the sheets, but Carlos refused to let that happen this time around. He was only here for Ally, not for his own selfish reasons.

They were quiet for a minute, allowing them to become acquainted with the other's presence. "I guess I should explain what happened," Ally spoke quietly, biting her lip.

"Only if you want to," Carlos reached out to grab her hand and held it firmly, running his thumb across the back of it. "I'm here for _you_, though. Obviously something happened or else you wouldn't have asked me to come." Carlos replayed the memory of Ally telling him she didn't want him to visit her.

"I know," She sighed, tugging on Carlos' hand. "I know." Carlos pulled her over to sit on the edge of the bed, still holding her hand. She stayed silent, trying to figure out where to start and the only beginning she had was literally the _beginning_. "When I was 14, I got asked out for the first time by this guy Taylor Harbor. He was seriously my first crush, so I had said yes." Ally smiled at the memory, but kept going. "My mom had told my dad about it and next thing I know I was getting a lecture on putting school first. He told me that boys only wanted one thing, and that I needed to grow up and see that. He kept going on and on about how my grades were already slacking, but it was only because I had gotten the flu that year, so I had missed so much." Carlos watched her face contort and began to run his thumb across her hand again. "I remember crying in front of him and I was trying to defend myself, but he literally screamed, 'Crying is a sign of _weakness_, Allyson, and I never want to see tears in your eyes again.' He made me call Taylor Harbor while he was still in the room. It was so embarrassing. For a while that was the last time I cried. Even when I broke my arm my sophomore year, I didn't cry. I didn't want to disappoint my father because in my mind, he was the greatest person in my life. He gave me everything, so to disappoint him would make me selfish. But then my grandmother died. And I lost it." Ally swallowed back the tightness rising in her throat before continuing.

"My grandmother was pretty much my best friend. I always went over to her store after school and she taught me so much about the fashion industry, but when I was 16, she was diagnosed with lung cancer. She was in the hospital for the last 5 months of her life and I was there every day with her. She knew about my dad always heaping on me, and told me to just ignore him and do what my heart wanted. So, when she passed away, I was crying uncontrollably at her funeral. My brother had to hold me up, and I know my mom wanted to comfort me, but my dad refused to let her. Michael tried to not let his feelings show, but he let a few tears slip and my dad lost it." Ally let Carlos wipe a few escaped tears from her face before she kept going. "He told us death was just a part of life and we needed to accept that. That was the first time I ever stood up to him. I told him to just shut up and leave us alone. He was so shocked that he didn't say anything to me for a week." Ally laughed, trying to relieve some tension.

"After that, I tried to take control of my own life. I dated a couple of guys, but it would never last because my dad would scare the shit out of them. Then Michael moved out and I was left alone to defend myself, and I just knew the only way to get out was to let my dad win. I never cried after my grandmother's funeral, well, until Michael got in his accident."

"Why was your dad always like that?" Carlos questioned, not used to hearing stories about terrible dads.

Ally shrugged, "I don't even know. I have theories though. He didn't have a lot growing up. My grandfather died when he was 8, so he grew up without a father. I have a feeling though that his dad might've started the crying is a weakness tradition. I feel like he wanted me and Michael to have the best education possible because he had to work so hard for his. My grandmother only ran her store, so she didn't make much so she couldn't pay for best things for my dad. I think he got picked on a lot in school, and he didn't want that for us." Ally frowned. "I think in some fucked up way that's his sign of affection for us: giving us the best with abusive wording."

Ally chuckled at the thought of her life, "He started his own firm when he was 26 and worked hard for his money. He wanted me and Michael to do the same, but of course, I had to choose fashion, which infuriated him, especially after my grandmother died. I didn't tell him for a while though. I told him my major was business, and it is, but it's really my minor." Carlos laughed. "But now that Moore Clothes is taking off, he's pressuring me to settle down and get married. 'Los Angeles is too dangerous, and if you don't marry someone, you'll lose your appeal and run your store into the ground.'" Ally imitated her father's voice, but frowned after she said it. "Word for word, that's what I get every time I see him now."

"Hey," Carlos said softly, moving his free hand under her chin so she would look at him. "You know that's not true. You're too smart to ruin your business, and way too beautiful for someone to not want to marry you." He caressed her cheek while staring down into her hairs. "You've had me hooked since day one. I'm always thinking of you."

Ally smiled, feeling a blush creep up her face. "Carlos," she whispered, almost ready to argue with him, but stopped herself. She needed to hear someone tell her that. "Thank you."

Carlos shook his head at her, tracing her bottom lip now with his thumb, "Thank _you_." He said it only because he meant it. She let him in, and he was determined to stay there for a while.

Without another word between them, Carlos leaned his lips down, pressing them softly to Ally's. Ally sighed into his kiss and immediately placed her free hand on his neck, pulling him closer to her. The kiss was painfully sweet. There was nothing lustful about it. It was a deep, meaningful act that had Ally breathless. Carlos was being so gentle about it; he didn't try slipping his tongue in her mouth, or move his hands anywhere. He had opened his mouth a little and tilted his head, but he put everything he had into this kiss and Ally did too. They pulled away when they both had to catch their breath, but kept their foreheads together.

"I, um," Carlos tried to speak, but he began to trip over his words. "I just want you to know that when you first met me, I was in a bad place." Ally gave him a confused look as she pulled her head away to look at him. "You told your story, now I wanna tell mine," he playfully smirked at her and she nodded.

"Okay," Ally whispered, now taking the chance to be the one to comfort him, if needed.

"I was dating this girl for a year, and I was completely head over heels for her. We did practically everything together, I mean, everything. But I had to go out of town for a couple of weeks to do a radio tour, and when I got back to L.A., all of her stuff was packed up and she just out of the blue told me she didn't love me anymore and was moving out. I was devastated, and for a month, I literally felt so broken and hurt, that I thought I would never be myself again." He frowned as he continued and Ally watched him carefully. "Logan actually helped me get back into the field because he was the only single friend I had, and just every night we were always drinking and clubbing, and I literally became _that_ guy. The guy that just flirts with everything that walks and gets what he wants because of his charm. That day I first met you at that coffee shop, and that night you came over, I was being _that _guy. But you were just so honest that eventually, I stopped flirting and just became myself again." He laughed, and Ally smiled slightly. "I was so scared that next morning because I woke up and you were gone, and I thought you were going to just leave me high and dry and start dating the other guy. And when I found out it was Logan," He took a breath. "I lost it. I knew you would pick him because he's just the perfect guy that every girl wants to take home to their parents; that's just how he is. I was so determined to not let that happen because I wanted to be me again. And now," Carlos smiled down at Ally, feeling her thumb caress over his skin. "Now, I am me again because you picked me. And I don't plan on going anywhere, Ally."

Ally was hesitant to bring Carlos with her to the hospital, but he was very persuasive with being entirely too cute. Plus, she couldn't just leave him alone all day in a town he knows nothing about. Luckily for her, Jennifer had spent the night with Michael and neither of her parents were there.

When they arrived at Michael's room, Ally could hear Jennifer and her brother laughing and it made her smile. Jennifer might've been a bitch sometimes, but she was good for Michael and that was that mattered. Ally smiled nervously at Carlos as she knocked lightly on the door frame, "Hey, guys."

"Oh, hey, Allyson," Jennifer greeted with a grin. "Happy birthday!"

"Happy birthday, baby sis!" Michael grinned before looking behind her and seeing an unfamiliar face. "Who's your friend?"

"Thanks, guys. This is my," Ally looked at Carlos with an open jaw, unsure of how to detail him.

Carlos quickly understood and walked across to Jennifer and shook her hand, "I'm Carlos. I came down to visit Ally on her birthday." He firmly shook Michael's hand, wanting to make a good impression. "It's nice to finally meet you, Michael. Your sister talks about you all the time."

Michael chuckled, appreciating the fact that Carlos wasn't treating him like a delicate doll with his hand shake. "It's nice to meet you, too, even though I've never heard a single thing about you."

Ally blushed, "I just haven't gotten around to it, Michael. We've been kind of preoccupied."

"There are no hard feelings, I hope." Michael chuckled at Carlos, seriously hoping that Carlos was understandable.

"No way. Not with all this going on," Carlos gestured to the machines.

After a few more minutes of small talk with Jennifer and Michael, Jennifer stood up. "I need to get going." She leaned down at kissed Michael before turning back to Ally. "If you need anything, just call me. I'm going to be back around 4 so you can leave early and enjoy dinner with your parents, as much as you can at least," Jennifer tried to joke, but wasn't sure if Ally would laugh or not.

Ally found Jennifer to be surprisingly funny and chuckled, "Thanks, Jennifer. I'll try."

"Do they know he's coming?" She whispered to Ally, not wanting Carlos or Michael to overhear. Ally shook her head no and Jennifer raised her eyebrows, "Maybe they'll take it easy with it being your birthday and all." She knew her parents well enough to know they would be a little upset.

Ally laughed again, "I doubt it, but thanks for the encouragement." She pulled Jennifer into a hug to silently thank her for everything. When she left, Ally watched Carlos and Michael interact and knew they were becoming friends fast. Her mind wandered back to when she first introduced Carlos. Was he her boyfriend? They hadn't made anything official yet, but she was pretty sure they were labeled without the labeling.

The day flew by fast with events that consisted of explaining how Ally knew Carlos and why he was there, all while Carlos was off getting coffee for them, and then Carlos and Michael just bonding even more. Ally managed to get a call from Melissa telling her happy birthday and Ally confirmed that she would be back next week, also informing Melissa of the Carlos and Logan triangle.

It was a good day so far, until 6 o'clock rolled around and Ally was gripping onto Carlos hand as they stood in front of her parents' house.

Ally took a deep breath, closing her eyes and thinking happy thoughts. "Ally, it's going to fine. Whatever happens, happens, okay? I'm still going to be here by your side."

She turned to look at him with hopeful eyes and quickly pecked his lips, thanking him for his words. Ally rang the doorbell and was quickly greeted by her mother. Julienne was very surprised to see another face with Ally, "Happy birthday, Allyson! Come inside, dear. Who's your friend?" Her mom kept a smile on her face, but Ally could tell she was beyond nervous to see how Patrick was going to react.

"Mom, this is Carlos, my boyfriend," Carlos' eyes immediately twinkled at the word and he tried not to smirk. "Carlos, this is my mother Julienne."

"It's so lovely to meet you, Mrs. Moore." He shook her hand and gave her a charming smile that he hoped would ease her nerves.

"Oh, thank you. I had no idea Allyson had a boyfriend, so forgive me and my husband for the shock." Julienne politely smiled at Carlos, praying in her head that She turned to look at him with hopeful eyes and quickly pecked his lips, thanking him for his words. Ally rang the doorbell and was quickly greeted by her mother. Julienne was very surprised to see another face with Ally, "Happy birthday, Allyson! Come inside, dear. Who's your friend?" Her mom kept a smile on her face, but Ally could tell she was beyond nervous to see how Patrick was going to react.

"Mom, this is Carlos, my boyfriend," Carlos' eyes immediately twinkled at the word and he tried not to smirk. "Carlos, this is my mother Julienne."

"It's so lovely to meet you, Mrs. Moore." He shook her hand and gave her a charming smile that he hoped would ease her nerves.

"Oh, thank you. I had no idea Allyson had a boyfriend, so forgive me and my husband for the shock." Julienne politely smiled at Carlos, praying in her head that Patrick would be kind.

"I know I should have called earlier to let you know I was bringing someone, but I was with Michael today and I didn't have time." Ally explained.

"It's not a problem, honey. It is your birthday after all. Let's go into the dining room." Julienne led the way and Ally smiled at Carlos. He grinned at her, grabbing her hand and squeezing it as they followed Ally's mom. "I'll just go get your father."

Ally sat down in her usual seat beside the head of the table where Patrick would sit. She might've been upset with him, but she wasn't about to let Carlos sit beside him. Instead, Carlos sat beside Ally, not wanting to mess up any traditional seating.

"What do you mean 'she brought someone'?" Ally could hear Patrick whispering to Julienne in the foyer and she nervously looked at Carlos.

"Here we go," she joked as Carlos winked at her.

Patrick entered the dining room with Julienne right behind him, "Happy birthday, Allyson." Ally could hear the annoyance in her dad's voice, but ignored and simply nodded a thank you to him. She didn't bother standing up out of her sit for him, but Carlos did. "I'm sorry, my wife didn't tell me your name."

"Carlos, sir," Carlos stuck his hand out for Patrick to shake and he mustered up the strongest grip he could find. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Patrick nodded, "That's a good handshake you have there." Ally was incredibly surprised. Did her father really just compliment someone that wasn't her mother? "Well, let's eat then."

The four of them managed to get half way through dinner with small talk, Ally only speaking directly to her father when necessary. The tension was filling the room with every passing minute, and Carlos took notice. Patrick's questions for him became harder and harder.

"So, what do you do, Carlos?" Patrick asked, sipping his wine with a stern face.

"I'm actually a musician. We're just starting out, but we already have a great fan base. Our album is releasing in a few months and we're already working on scheduling a tour." Carlos explained, knowing how Patrick felt about musicians. Ally instantly tensed up as she watched her parent's facial expressions for any signs of outbursts.

She was shocked to find nothing but interest on her father's face. "Wasn't the last boy you were seeing a musician, Allyson?"

Now she understood the interest he had. He was testing them. He wanted to know if Carlos knew about the last boy she dated and wanted to see if he could stop this before it even really started. But Ally knew she was going to win this round. "He was. I stopped seeing him a while ago."

"Hm," Patrick hummed, nodding his head.

"If you have something to say, just say it." Ally blurted. She felt Carlos' hand on her knee in attempt to calm her down, and it did, but only slightly. "You obviously want to say something."

Patrick shook his head, "Allyson, I don't have anything else to say. You're still not listening to what I have to tell you anyway, so why should I bother anymore?" There it was. He was bringing up the fact that he thought musicians were never good enough. "You know how I feel about musicians."

"Oh, come on, are you seriously going to bring this up? There's no stop for you, is there?" Ally was beyond annoyed now.

"Excuse me, sir," Carlos piped in and Ally quickly turned her head to look at him. What was he doing? "I'd like to know how you feel about musicians."

"Carlos," Ally warned him, but Patrick hushed her.

"Let him speak for himself, Allyson." Ally scoffed at her father. "Musicians have either a hit or a miss career, and mostly they're all misses. Allyson has a degree from UCLA and can take that anywhere. Musicians think they have talent when really most of them are going nowhere. My daughter deserves someone with a little more class than a nobody from a small town looking for a dream."

Carlos thought out his answer for a second before speaking again, "You're right." Patrick and Ally both looked at him incredulously. "Musicians have hits or misses, and Ally deserves someone who can easily take care of her." Carlos felt Ally's hand over his and kept going, "Luckily for you, my job is a hit. Not that it's any of your business, but I can easily take care of myself and your daughter." Carlos stared Patrick down, already deciding that he didn't like Ally's dad. He told himself to try to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it failed as soon as he said he didn't like musicians. "Ally's store is very successful and it's only going to keep growing. You should be proud of her. She's worked hard to get to where she is, and she's only going to go farther."

"She won't if she has a tool on her arm holding her back," Patrick struck back.

"Patrick, that's enough." Julienne shocked them all by talking back to her husband, but she had enough.

"Excuse me?" He questioned.

"I said that is enough. This conversation is over. I'll discuss it with you later." Julienne glared at her husband, feeling satisfied when he closed his open mouth and stood up, throwing his napkin on the table and walking out of the dining room and into his study.

"Mom," Ally started, still shocked at her mother. "What are you doing?"

"I'm doing what I should have done years ago and telling your father to back off." Julienne swallowed a knot in her throat. "I'm almost lost two of my children last week, and I'm not letting it happen again. I can't stand the thought of knowing you won't come see me or talk to me when you ignore your father." She had tears in her eyes as she made eye contact with Ally. "I'm not letting this family fall apart."

Ally quickly stood up and rushed to her mother's side of the table and pulled her into the biggest hug, "Thank you."

"Honey, you are successful and I know you're going far. Don't let him bring you down," Julienne whispered into her ear, referring to Patrick.

Carlos looked on at the scene and could feel the love in the room. He smiled to himself, so happy to be part of the moment.

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**I dove into writing this chapter because of all the detail about Ally's life. It was fun to write and probably my favorite so far! Let me know how you felt about this with a review! Don't be shy!**


	8. Chapter 8

**It's been a while and I appreciate all the reviews and so many of you staying around for this story! I only have a few chapters left of it!**

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Ally flung her arm into the air as she tried to bring attention to a passing cab. She had just gotten back into Los Angeles via airplane and was in desperate need of seeing Carlos. After her birthday dinner, the two of them spent the night talking and laughing in Carlos' hotel room. They enjoyed the company of each other without anything sexual happening between the two – minus innocent flirting here and there.

And now, a week later, Ally had missed everything about Mr. Carlos and she was determined to make up for their lost time while she was in San Clemente.

Her brother Michael had been released the day before, but Ally spent one more night in town, making sure he would be okay with their mom and Jennifer. After the birthday dinner debacle, Ally felt immensely closer to her mom and spent a few days alone with her, somewhat like they used to. Ally refused to see Patrick though. She made sure to avoid him at all cost.

A taxi pulled up the curb and Ally smiled, growing more excited to be a step closer to Carlos. She put her suitcase in the trunk and hopped in, telling the driver Carlos' address. It was nearing 5 in the evening, so she hoped he would be home. She was planning on surprising him. The idea came to her as she was waiting to board her plane back in San Clemente. Normally she would have driven, seeing as the drive was only an hour, but because she was called by emergency, she found an airplane to be faster.

The drive to Carlos' was at least 20 minutes, so Ally spent the time by texting Melissa and letting her know that she would be back tomorrow to work. She had greatly missed her store as much as she missed Carlos. Moore Clothes was her little baby, and if anything were to happen to it, Ally would be completely lost.

Ally's smile grew as the taxi driver pulled up to Carlos' driveway. He had a fence surrounding his home, so she had to buzz him at the gate. She paid for her cab and took her suitcase out, politely declining the driver's offer to wait. If Carlos wasn't here now, he would be here later, and she would be determined to wait.

The driver drove off, and Ally took a deep breathe then buzzed the intercom, much like the very first time she was here. "Hello?" Carlos' voice came through the speaker and Ally bit her lip in excitement.

"Um, yeah, I have a special delivery for a Carlos Garcia." Ally tried not to giggle as she spoke.

"Oh, but I didn't order anything. Thank you, though!" His voice was so polite and Ally couldn't help but laugh.

"Carlos, open the gate!" She nearly screamed with a smile.

"Ally?!" Carlos exclaimed into the intercom, causing her to laugh again.

"Yes! Let me in! My feet hurt!" She giggled, glancing down at her heels. She wanted to go all out for seeing Carlos, so of course, heels were a must. The gate started to open and Ally grabbed her suitcase handle and took off. She assumed Carlos was running around his house trying to clean for his guest since he wasn't opening up the front door instantly. She knocked three times and could hear Sydney barking behind the door. Ally bounced on her feet and honestly could not stop smiling.

Carlos threw the door open with a smile on his face, "Hey!" He immediately pulled Ally into a long hug and breathed in her scent, making sure he wasn't dreaming. Ally wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed tight, doing the same as Carlos and proving this was reality. "What are you doing here?"

"Michael got better, so I came back. I literally got off the plane 30 minutes ago." She spoke into his neck, not wanting to pull away from their embrace just yet.

"God, I missed you," Carlos moved his lips to press against her temple before pulling away, but still keeping his arms around her. "Well, come on in. I think someone else missed you, too." Sydney was starting to whine for attention and Ally laughed, stepping into Carlos' home and kneeling in front of his dog. Carlos grabbed her suitcase and purse and pulled it into the house as Ally played with Sydney.

Ally spoke to Sydney in a doggy friendly voice as Carlos took her belongings to his room and came back seconds later, "I hope I didn't screw up any plans for you." Ally frowned, still petting Sydney.

"No way!" Carlos objected, tossing himself on to his couch. "I was just gonna stay in tonight and watch a movie with Syd."That was the honest truth. James, Logan, and Kendall were talking about doing something that night, but Carlos politely declined. He had told them he was just purely exhausted from rehearsals, but truthfully, he had been missing Ally too much to be in the mood for hanging out. But now that she was back, he was in full motion happy mode!

Ally watched Carlos smile at her from across the room, and she bit her lip, remembering so many more things that she missed about Carlos. "Well, is that still on the agenda then tonight?" She asked, standing up, eyes locked with Carlos'. Sydney wagged her tail back and forth on the hardwood before trotting off to the kitchen in search of her water bowl. "Or can I persuade you into doing something else?" Her voice had dropped an octave to sound more seductive, and she hoped Carlos could tell. She started to walk slowly over to the couch as Carlos sat up a bit.

"Uh," Carlos stuttered, definitely taking notice of the atmosphere change. "I-I guess it just depends on what you have in mind, Miss Moore."

Ally let out a playful giggle as she reached Carlos. She kneeled on top of him, straddling his waist as his hands instantly found her hips. "I have a few ideas up my sleeve." Ally grinned, placing her hands on his shoulders and leaning down to kiss his neck. She was gentle at first, slowly pecking her lips here and there, but then she progressed her movements. Ally nipped at his pulse point then grazed her tongue over the area, eliciting a soft moan from Carlos. She managed to travel up to his ear and tug on his earlobe before one of his hands reached up to smash their lips together.

The kiss was immediately passionate. Their tongues were already battling for dominance, but Ally wasn't ready to back down until Carlos moved his hand from her hip to slide under the back of her shirt. She backed down almost instantly and let Carlos take over, even though she had started this all. After a few minutes of intense kisses, Carlos wrapped his arms around Ally's waist tightly and stood up. Ally's slid around his neck to hold herself up, and her legs locked at the ankles around his hips. She broke their kiss to laugh and Carlos grinned up at her, beginning to walk them towards his bedroom.

"I missed you," Ally whispered, softly kissing his lips before pulling away to look into his eyes. She saw all she needed to see traced in to those brown eyes.

"I missed you, too." He whispered back, smiling up at her before reaching his room and laying her gently on his bed. He didn't bother closing his door; he lived alone and wasn't expecting anyone, so why bother?

Minutes of sensual kisses and exploring hands led to Carlos being shirtless and Ally in just her black-lace bra. "Carlos," Ally arched her back as Carlos's tongue dipped into her belly button and his hands firmly squeezed her breasts. He left one hand to massage her breast as the other travelled down to the button of her jeans. He successfully unbuttoned them with one hand before taking his other and using both to start pulling her jeans down slowly, kissing each new spot of exposed skin.

Ally could hear Sydney barking excessively from the living room, but she tried to block her hardest to block the barks out. Carlos pulled away regretfully and turned his head to listen. His hand was massaging her outside thigh still, "I think someone's here…she only barks like that when someon—" There was a loud knocking coming from the door, and Carlos groaned. "Maybe they'll go away," Carlos stated hopefully and turned back to Ally as she laughed at him. He leaned down with a smile to kiss her lips, but before he could deepen it, there was another knock.

"Los! Dude, we know you're here!" There was a commotion of laughter following, and Ally froze. She knew that voice. Carlos felt her tense up and looked down at her with wide eyes.

"Is that Logan?" She whispered, instantly terrified and imagining the worst thing possible.

"Yeah," Carlos stood up quickly and handed Ally the nearest shirt possible. He started searching around for another shirt for himself, and adjusted his semi-erect boner.

"What are we gonna do?" Ally asked nervously as she pulled Carlos's shirt on over her head. She buttoned her pants back up as Carlos found a shirt and shoved it on.

He ran his hands over his head, trying to think of a plan. "You have your phone, right?" She nodded, biting her thumb nail. "I don't know what they're doing here," There was another knock, this time louder than any of the other ones. "I'm coming! Hold on!" He shouted towards the door and Ally felt her eyes widened.

"You're going to let them in?" Ally asked as if he were completely crazy.

"I want you to lock the bedroom door after me, okay? I'm gonna try to get them out of here as soon as I can. Don't freak out, or worry, all right?" Carlos gave her a lingering kiss, not wanting to answer the door.

"Just…" She sighed, "Just don't let Logan get any idea that I'm here." She whispered the last part. She was honestly scared that Logan was going to put the puzzle together and cause a big scene.

"I won't," He smiled softly at her before leaving her stranded his room and closing the door. Quickly, Ally flew to the door to lock it and pressed her ear against it, listening to Carlos and his friends.

"What the hell were you doing, man?" It sounded like Kendall to Ally, but she had only met him once, so she wasn't sure.

"I was asleep; thanks for waking me up, dicks." Ally could hear the door shut and feet shuffling in the living room.

"Well, we knew you were all tired and shit, but we couldn't let you hang out alone on a Friday." That was Logan's voice. Ally knew it well.

"That's nice you guys, but I'm fine-really. Go out to that club like you planned." Carlos countered, wanting them to leave so he could go back to Ally and show her exactly how much he missed her.

"Aw, come on, we came all the way out here. At least hang out with us for a little while." James' voice popped in.

Ally could hear Carlos stammer before agreeing reluctantly, "All right. Do you guys want something to drink or eat?"

Ally sighed, standing up from the door. Carlos was going to play perfect host and she was just going to hang out in his locked bedroom…alone…with nothing to do. She walked over to his bed and sat down on it, instantly remembering her first time on this bed. It was so comfortable and inviting.

A few minutes passed and Ally's phone vibrated.

**From Carlos:**

**I'm so so sorry. They're gonna be here a while =/**

Ally sighed. She was frustrated, but not at Carlos. At his friends, partially, and at herself. Maybe she shouldn't have surprised Carlos like this. It seemed to have made things worse for their night. She should've just called him and made plans like a normal person.

**To Carlos:**

**It's fine. I'm just gonna take a nap =)**

And without waiting for a reply, Ally climbed up higher onto Carlos' bed, took off her jeans, knowing no one would be entering the room anytime soon, and slid under the soft white sheets.

Maybe it was only a few minutes or maybe it was a few hours, but Ally woke up feeling someone climb into the bed behind her. She couldn't clearly remember what was happening before she went to sleep, but she knew Carlos was behind her.

"Hey," Carlos whispered, pulling her flat against his chest and kissing her neck softly.

"Are they gone?" She remembered now, confused as to how Carlos got into his room with the door locked. "How'd you get in here?"

"They just left; and I used a credit card to break in." Ally laughed and felt Carlos' chest bounce with laughter too. She turned around to face him and placed her hand on his chest, her head resting on his bicep.

"What time is it?" She asked, her eyes blinking lazily up at him.

"A little after 8," His voice was sad and down, not meaning to let them stay for two hours. "I'm really sorry."

Ally shook her head, "No, no, don't be. It's fine. I got a little nap in, I'm good." Carlos chuckled and she smiled up at him, glad that he enjoyed her joke.

"I'm glad you slept well…in my bed…without me."

She grinned at him and shrugged, "I should probably get going, though." She informed him sadly. She didn't want to leave, but it was getting late and she was exhausted. "I need to get up early tomorrow to get back at the store, and I need to make sure my apartment is still in decent condition."

Carlos chucked softly at her, caressing her cheek with his thumb. "Okay. Let me drive you."

The drive to her apartment was a peaceful one. They joked and caught up with each other a little, and even had a few silences that weren't uncomfortable at all. The silence actually let Ally think and plan for something to do.

Carlos pulled up into her lot, and walked Ally up to her door. "I know that tonight didn't go as planned, but I'm really really happy that you came, and that you're back." Carlos spoke genuinely as he held Ally's waist close to him.

"Me, too," Ally smiled up at him, and leaned her lips up, pecking his gently. "Do you have plans for tomorrow night?"

"Nope," Carlos shook his head, "I'm all yours."

"Well," Ally bit her lip, suddenly nervous. The drive to her apartment gave her time to think and what she was about to ask Carlos made her extremely nervous. "Uh, would you like to have dinner with me, here…at my apartment?"

Carlos was speechless. He knew how Ally never let any guy into her apartment for the mere fact of it being hers, and it made him feel so honored. "Of course, Ally."

Ally let out a breath she had been holding in and laughed, "I don't think you realize how nerve wrecking that just was for me."

Carlos laughed with her and gripped her waist, "I think I do." Before she could say anything again, Carlos pressed his lips against hers, making all the nerves shy away and helping Ally realize just exactly why she was asking Carlos to come over into her apartment. The kiss sealed the deal for her as she felt so many emotions coursing through her veins.

She was in love with Carlos.

* * *

**Well? Tell me what you thought? It was shorter than others, but I liked it. Next one is going to be EPICCCCCC!**


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